GSEED Aftermath Trilogy II: Repercussion
by Pisces Miles
Summary: Rusty MacKenzie was shot down on Heliopolis, yet somehow he lived through it and turned into the enemy. Nightmares plunged him into darkness and no amount of sexual pleasures could sooth his disturbed soul, except for one, his wife. [Complete]
1. Prologue

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Prologue**

'I don't care what you do, just do it!' Yzak Jule shouted into the phone. 'A person from Orb almost died on Aprilius One! This is a very big issue! I don't care what you do, I want that assassin arrested! You got it? Good!'

Slamming the phone down, Yzak threw himself onto his chair and exhaled loudly, rubbing the side of his head. His double identity didn't make things easy for him and the council has given a lot of pressure on ZAFT, worried that the assassination attempt on Miriallia Haww would shake the already unstable relationship with Orb.

'Commander Jules, your coffee.' A knock on the door caught Yzak's attention.

'Come in.' He called tiredly, sitting up.

'These are the reports from security on the recent assassination case.' Yzak's secretary said, setting down a stack of files.

'Thank you.' Yzak replied absently, taking a sip from his dark coffee. It had been increasingly hard for him to stay focused without caffeine, he'd die with the workload he had.

_You pay a price._ Yzak mused mentally, setting down his coffee mug. Turning in his seat, he looked out the window at the scenery before him. PLANT had been his home ever since he was born and he couldn't imagine what it would be like if PLANT had been destroyed by those nuclear missiles three years ago. The peace obtained had not been easy and he was willing to do what he had to in order to keep it. He understood that peace came with a price which involved sacrifice, and he had the ability to contribute.

Touching his face where his scar used to be, Yzak winced slightly. It had more or less healed, yet it constantly reminded him of his innocent killings. He never felt guilty for his killings during the battle, but when everything was over, the process of repent was painful.

'Commander Jules, Major Elthman wants to see you.' Yzak's secretary said through the communicator.

'Send him in.' Yzak said, turning around in his seat.

'Commander.' Dearka Elthman saluted.

'Sit.' Yzak rolled his eyes. 'And please, enough with the saluting.'

'I'm your subordinate.' Dearka smirked.

'They want to promote you. You just don't _want_ to and leave the big stuff to me.' Yzak muttered. 'What is it?'

Dearka's smirk faded and he shook his head.

'Oh, don't tell you ticked the lady off again.' Yzak rolled his eyes. 'How many times do I have to tell you? You need patience with women. I really can't afford anymore leaves from you.'

'Oh, _you're_ the one talking.' Dearka snarled. 'Besides, this is not about my personal life, thank you very much.'

Yzak shrugged. 'Just get married for the love of God.'

'Give me a break, I'm only twenty.' Dearka muttered, leaning back. 'Besides, Miriallia and I still have our careers to worry about.'

Yzak snorted. 'Since when did _you _worry your career, Dearka Elthman?'

'Since now.' Dearka tossed a file onto Yzak's desk.

'What's this?' Yzak glanced at it with raised eyebrows.

'Shots from surveillance.' Dearka replied flatly. 'You won't believe what they got.'

Eyeing it suspiciously, Yzak opened the file and widened his eyes. 'No way!'

'Believe me, that's the same reaction I got when I opened Shiho's security box.' Dearka said darkly. 'It was definitely a sniper and the both of us know that he's more than qualified to kill at our estimated distance.'

Yzak leaned back, trying to recovering from the shock. 'There's no way, there's no_ way_ he could have survived Heliopolis!'

'If they really get him, he'll be dead before we can say Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty.' Dearka said shortly.

'Does he have an allegiance?' Yzak asked.

'Nessar.' Dearka said promptly

'Damn it!' Yzak bawled, slamming his fist onto the desk.

After a few minutes of silence, Yzak took a deep breath and closed the file. 'Get Athrun and make sure that _none _of this gets to the council.'

'Yes sir.'

* * *

He woke up abruptly, feeling his skin drenched in sweat. It was another dream, another nightmare.

Panting, he pressed one palm onto his chest and winced at the pounding of his heart. The nightmare was worse than the usual, the darkness was horrifying.

Opening his eyes, he looked down at his lap, watching as a drop of sweat dripped down, splashing onto the dark colored sheets.

He almost jumped up at the arms that snaked around his neck from behind. Kicking himself mentally, his breath slowed down as the bare chest of a woman pressed to his back, rubbing his sweaty skin.

'What is it honey?'

'It's nothing Novita, just a bad dream.' He replied softly, patting her entwined arms briefly. 'Just a bad dream.'

'Aww…' Novita Van Ness breathed into his ear. 'Do you want me to make you feel better?'

'I'd love to.' He smirked. 'But I have to go, it's almost daybreak.'

'Oh please!' Novita made a move to pull him back. 'It's been over two weeks since we've gotten together! I'm going to be busy again and it will take forever!'

'I'm sorry love, but I have to get back before day comes.' He said, giving her a kiss on the lips. 'Besides, you have a meeting with your Father early in the morning.'

'But – ' Novita stopped and pouted. 'Is it because of your stupid wife?'

'That too.' He laughed, standing up.

'Bitch.' Novia muttered, pushing the sheets away from her. Rushing forward, she threw her arms around him before he could pull on his boxers.

'She's your sister.' He murmured.

'I know, and clearly, she can't fullfill your needs.' Novia grumbled, tightening her grip. 'Stay.'

'You know I'd love to, but I can't. Be good.' With that, he quickly untangled her arms from his waist and dressed. Shrugging on his jacket, he grabbed his car keys from her dresser and pulled on his steel toed army boots.

'I'll miss you.' Novia sighed as she walked him to the door with the sheets wrapped around her. Pulling his face down, she gave him a deep kiss before letting him go.

Pausing slightly as the door closed behind him, he walked down the revolving stairs of the mansion and was greeted by the butler.

'Ready to go Mr. Enzia?' He asked, opening the door for him.

'Thanks.' He stepped out into the dark morning and unlocked his car with his remote. Stepping into his comfortable sedan, he gunned the engine and cruised down the road into the highway. He had been later than usual and he had to get back into the city before dawn. Wincing at the rising sun, he fumbled for his shades in the dashboard.

Arriving his apartment situated in a quiet community at the outskirts of the busy political capital of PLANT Aprilius One, he parked his car and locked it manually. Going up the fire escape stairs at the back of the building, he pushed open the balcony door at the fourth floor and met total darkness.

He hated darkness. He absolutely hated it. A year of blindness explained a lot.

Feeling for the switch, he quickly flipped it on and felt relieved to find his apartment filled with light. He could still hear his heart pound slightly from the sudden shock of darkness. Reaching into his jacket, he took out his pistol and set it on the shelf along with a series of firearms, including rifles and old classic revolvers. Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall in the kitchen, he found that it was already six.

Before he reached the master bedroom, he stopped briefly at the workroom and debated whether or not to check, but decided against it. Shaking his head, he pushed open the door to the master bedroom and took off his jacket. It smelled of smoke, not surprising at all since Novita was a chimney.

Throwing the jacket onto the king size bed, he started to undress, wanting to take a shower badly. He was about to take his boxers off when he suddenly realized that the lights of the room were on. Turning his head towards the bathroom, he saw light seeping through the gap of the door. Frowning, he pushed open the door, not appreciating the idea of having to fight for the bathroom at six in the morning.

He was met with nothing but steam and coughed slightly at the unpleasant air. Not bothering to shut the door, he walked towards the shower and heard it turn on again. Suddenly irritated, he drew the shower curtains open forcefully and was met with a low gasp.

'What are you doing, taking a shower at six in the morning?' He demanded, looking down at her. She had just finished washing her long black hair and was in the process of rinsing the fruity shampoo from her silky locks.

'You were supposed to be back at five the latest.' She said flatly, continuing her rinse, ignoring the fact that they were basically naked in front of each other.

'What's this?' He reached down and picked up the red shampoo bottle. Flipping open the lid, he smelled it. 'Since when did you like strawberries?'

'Since never.' She said in her usual flat voice. 'I ran out and got it during my last trip. Didn't want to waste the damn thing. There's non left anyway, but I figure you smelled a lot of this a few hours ago.'

Finishing her rinse, she stepped out of the tub and was about to reach for her towel hanging on the railing beside the counter when he suddenly whirled her around and crushed his lips onto hers in a rough kiss.

'I'm not Novita, so fuck off.' She snapped, breaking off the kiss, pushing him away.

'I don't want to fuck off, I want to fuck you.' Picking her up, he threw her wet body over his shoulders and carried her out of the steamy bathroom, figuring his shower could wait. Ignoring her protests and her hard thumps on his back, he dropped her onto her feet and pushed her onto the bed. Frowning as the sheets soaked with her long wet hair, he pulled off his boxers and pushed her into the fluffy sheets, running his slender fingers up her thigh.

'Get off me!' She yelled, trying to kick his hands away.

'I like it when you're pissed, you're turning me on honey.' He sneered into her ear, licking it. Feeling her struggles die down, he smiled and trailed his tongue down her neck and over her chest while his hands occupied themselves with the heat between her legs.

'You jackass, isn't it enough that you already fuck my sister's brains out every now and then?' She muttered, biting into his shoulder, feeling his hard member enter her swiftly. Closing her eyes, she picked up the rhythm and felt herself letting go, much to her dismay. Every time…

'This is different, you're legitimate.' He whispered into her ears huskily. 'So I can fuck you whenever I want.' Closing his eyes, feeling the sensation their rubbing skin produced. Feeling himself come, he braced himself and released while staring into her amber eyes. Falling on top of her in exhaust, he tried to stay awake, but found himself drifting to sleep. He could easily fall into a dreamless sleep after having sex with her.

When he woke up again, he wasn't at all surprised to see that she had left and it was already three in the afternoon. She had definitely gone out and he was left to kill time alone until he figured out what to do with the shit he was ordered to finish. Sitting up, he made a reach for the jug of water on the nightstand but failed and let the jug fall onto the carpeted floor, spilling water onto the floor. Cursing, he rolled off the bed and found his foot hit something cold. Kneeling down, he picked up the chain that held a dog tag.

Leaning his back against the bed, he held it up and stared at it under the sunlight of the colony. After what seemed like forever, he drew open the bottom drawer and threw the dog tag in, slamming it shut with a loud thud.

Standing up, he was about to take his long awaited shower but stopped and turned to the chest of drawers again. Sighing, he drew open the drawer again and fell onto the bed dangling the dog tag over his eyes.

Who was he kidding, a part of him was still the Rusty MacKenzie from ZAFT's Team Klueze who died during the Heliopolis raid.

**  
End of Prologue  
**


	2. Chapter 1

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 1**

_Four Years Ago / C.E. 70_

'Yzak Jule, Dearka Elthman and Rusty MacKenzie…' Miguel Ayman looked down at his board then up at the three new recruits standing before him, their hands raised in a smart salute. 'The last of the five new elite recruits assigned to Team Klueze.'

'Yes sir!' Yzak Jule responded, standing, if possible, even straighter.

'Question.' Miguel leaned forward slightly in the sofa, a sly smirk plastered on his lips. 'Why didn't you three come with Athrun Zala and Nicol Armafi yesterday?'

Dearka Elthman shot a glance at Rusty MacKenzie, who shot a glance at Yzak, shuttering slightly at the fire burning in his eyes. _Here we go again…_

Miguel's sharp eyes lowered slightly as he crossed his legs. 'Is it because of you Yzak?'

'I don't get what you mean sir.' Yzak said through clenched teeth.

Miguel shrugged. 'It's nothing, I just heard from Nicol that you've lost to Athrun in practically _every_ training session.'

'That idiot…' Yzak seethed, his hands clutched in a tight fist, his knuckles turning white.

'I challenged him to a knife duel yesterday.' Miguel continued, eyeing Yzak with one eye closed. Rusty shot a glance at Yzak and Dearka.

'And…' Dearka's voiced trailed.

'I lost, of course.' Miguel said as a matter of fact, shrugging.

'Damn!' Dearka muttered while Rusty smirked.

'What?' Yzak shrieked. 'You've got combat experience for Christ's sake!'

'Dude, he's a topgun that beat up stabby Fred.' Rusty said dryly, making a face. 'That's a personal ad my friend.'

'That's exactly what I told myself as consolation.' Miguel said, sighing. 'The guy has got more than just _some_ skill.'

Yzak snorted. 'I ranked first in marksmanship.'

'That's because Athrun caught a cold and I broke my arm.' Rusty said dryly, shrugging when Yzak shot a death glare at him.

'You?' Miguel looked at Rusty. 'What are you good at then MacKenzie?'

Dearka looked at Miguel weirdly. 'I thought you had our records.'

Miguel waved his hand in the hair absently. 'I'm too lazy to go over those stupid records.' Dearka and Yzak stared at him in disbelief.

'I ranked last in practically all training sessions except for marksmanship.' Rusty replied, shrugging. 'Of course among the five of us only, I _am_ an elite, afterall.'

Miguel raised his eyebrows. 'Marksmanship?' he looked down at the long case at his feet. 'You're a sniper?'

'Yes sir.' Rusty replied promptly.

_'The _sniper.' Dearka muttered. 'He shoots better with a sniper rifle at a sixteen hundred meter range than a pistol at a five meter range.'

Miguel smirked. 'Really? _That_ good?'

'I say so myself.' Rusty replied, returning the smirk.

'I would challenge you at the shooting range, but I suck at firearms.' Miguel said, standing up. 'Or at least I'm not as good as the others.'

'You wouldn't want to challenge him, _believe_ me.' Dearka muttered. 'He makes money out of these bets at the academy.'

'Dearka!' Rusty hissed.

'What?' Dearka shrugged innocently while Yzak sneered.

'You do?' Miguel's eyes lit up, 'and you were _never_ caught?'

'Nope. I lost count of the money I made during those six months of training.' Rusty admitted. 'I was the richest fellow back then. Best days I've ever had.'

'A sniper huh? You're going to make a superb assassin, I'm glad you didn't join one of those underground societies that recruit professional snipers.' Miguel murmured, grinning up at them.

Rusty shrugged. 'Just be glad I'm putting my extraordinary skills into _some_ good use.'

'I'm glad too…' Miguel stood up and smiled. Walking pass them, he suddenly turned on his heel and pulled out his pistol but found himself staring down the barrel of Rusty's gun. Dearka and Yzak watched in silence as the two ZAFT soldiers glared, their guns pointing at each other.

'We should both be glad our guns aren't loaded.' Rusty said in a low voice, cocking his head.

'Likewise.' Miguel smirked, lowering his hand. He suddenly sighed in exaggeration and shrugged. 'I should do some serious self evaluation.' Sticking the gun back into his uniform, Miguel picked up the file on the coffee table of the conference room and motioned for the door. 'You guys came from the hanger?'

'Yes sir!' Yzak said sharply.

'So I get that you've got a glimpse of the Ginns stashed away there.' Miguel smiled.

'When are we going to get some real action?' Dearka asked as the three ZAFT soldiers followed him out of the conference room.

'Well, I should get a sortie order any minute since all the rookies have arrived.' Miguel answered. 'In the meantime, the five of you will do some serious stimulation training. Right now, I'm taking you guys to the sleeping quarters where you'll settle down.'

'We've done so much computer training back at the academy.' Yzak muttered. 'Why can't we just use the real Mobile Suits?'

Miguel shrugged. 'We act on strict orders Yzak. That's why we're called military.'

'You think you're going to challenge Athrun again?' Rusty asked, sneering at Yzak. 'Perhaps, say, chess?'

'Chess!' Yzak stopped in his tracks. 'Why have I never thought of that? I'm _best_ at chess!'

'Huh?' Miguel turned and looked at the three rookies with raised eyebrows.

'There's this challenge going on.' Dearka explained, shrugging. 'Yzak will not admit defeat until he's won Athrun. It's this weird obsession thing of his.'

'It's not an obsession!' Yzak bawled, grabbing Dearka by the collar. 'I will beat him down! You just wait and see! I will _so_ make him go _down!_'

'He likes to vent his frustration and anger of this issue on others.' Rusty whispered to a stunned Miguel. 'He gets more and more vicious and doesn't really learn his lessons, so if you're near him after a defeat, chances are something of yours will be broken.'

'Thanks for the advice.' Miguel said, his eyebrows twitching as he watched Yzak strangle Dearka by the neck. 'I'll keep that in mind.'

When they reached the quarters of the base, Miguel led the three to the end of the hall. Entering a code, the automatic doors slid open and the lights flooded the neat room.

'This room will be for the three of you.' Miguel said. 'From time to time, your rooms will be switched, on the month.'

'Why?' Dearka asked, setting his case onto the bed at the far end.

Miguel shrugged. 'I don't know, to get to know the others on the base? I get the arrangements from Captain Klueze directly, rookies only.' He was about to say something else when Rusty suddenly jumped up.

'What?' Yzak asked, glaring at him.

'Speaking of Captain Klueze…' Rusty rubbed his chin. 'What's with the guy and his mask?'

Miguel stared at him for a moment before sitting down. 'You're my favorite crew.'

'What?' Rusty cocked his head.

Rusty shrugged and waved his hand in the air absently. 'The captain's mask is an issue that is beyond all investigation, our team's special rule. The captain's face is a total mystery and should not be talked about around here.'

Dearka, Yzak and Rusty managed a three way glance.

'We're being led by a creep.' Dearka muttered, sighing loudly.

Miguel choked. 'You could say that.' He looked down at his watch. 'You kids take your time and unpack. The mess hall is on Level V. I'll be roommates with Nicol and Athrun for the time being, our room is the third one of the left after you take a right at the elevator.'

'Where's the laundry room?' Yzak asked.

'Level N.' Miguel replied. 'It's open twenty four seven.'

'Great.' Yzak murmured.

'I'm going to take off now, we'll have a rookie briefing at ten hours tomorrow at conference room 221, questions?' Miguel looked at the three. 'Nope? Then I'll see you.'

'He seems like a cool guy.' Rusty commented as the door slid shut.

Dearka nodded absently, throwing himself onto the bed. 'It would be coo_ler _if we got to see that knife duel he had with Athrun yesterday. Why oh why did you have to piss each other off? We miss _all_ the action!' He eyed Yzak who was steaming with anger.

'We're meant to piss each other off!' Yzak hissed, opening his briefcase. 'It will be the end of the world when you see us befriend, trust me on that.'

Rusty shook his head and unzipped his duffle, taking out a stack of magazines. 'Oh I trust you Yzak, I trust you big time.'

Dearka frowned and sat up. 'Oh what the _hell_ is that?'

'My collection of "Sniper".' Rusty said innocently, placing them neatly on the shelf above the headboard.

Dearka reached out one hand and took a copy. 'Dude, this issue is like eight years ago!'

'Yeah baby!' Rusty exclaimed. 'It'll give you a guide to_ all _the classics!'

'Classics are out, that's why they're called _classics_.' Yzak said shortly. 'They're just a bunch museum crap.' He yelped when Rusty threw a bottle across the room.

'Don't insult my babes!' Rusty scowled.

'Don't tell me you're going to sleep with them.' Dearka raised his eyebrows at Rusty.

'Just marry your stupid guns.' Yzak muttered.

Dearka smirked. 'Give the guy _some_ credit, just tell him to marry a girl who makes guns, if they're of existence at all.'

Rusty was about to throw back a torrent of insults when the door slid open.

'Finally! You guys are here!' Nicol floated into the room with Athrun behind him.

'Hey Dude!' Rusty gave Nicol a high five.

'You guys got your way around okay?' Athrun asked, holding onto the headboard of Rusty's bed.

'Yeah, it was okay.' Dearka shrugged. 'I heard from Miguel that you won him in a knife fight!'

Yzak snorted and plopped onto his bed.

'You heard!' Nicol exclaimed. 'He was no match I tell you.'

'Really?' Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Then maybe we should have another shooting bet Athrun.'

'Oh, give me a break, you know you kick my ass big time and you only bet long range.' Athrun waved his hand. 'I lost a lot last time and I'm not running that risk again, lesson learnt.'

'Aww…' Rusty crossed his legs in the air. 'Come on! I'll give you ten shoots.'

Dearka laughed. 'You'll win even if you give Athrun thirty shoots, forget it Rusty, no one's going to bet with you in this team ever again!'

Rusty snorted and turned to Yzak. 'You like challenges, step up!'

Yzak shook his head. 'For once in my life, I'd like to lose to you Rusty, as rich as I am.'

'Damn you guys!' Rusty wailed, pulling at his spiky red hair. 'Come_ on!_'

The four other elite glanced at each and shook their heads. There was no way they'd fall into that trap again, Rusty MacKenzie was too hard a sniper to beat, and whoever was caught under his scope wouldn't live to see the next day.

* * *

Life under Captain Klueze was more demanding than any of them had thought it would be. Besides continuous combat and mobile suits training, there was also a lot of decoding and strategic work to do and with Yzak's constant fits, life wasn't that easy and their team was definitely not the dream team anyone would expect.

It had been almost four month since they were reassigned to the Klueze team and they had just finished another series of Mobile Suits and Firearms training. As a firearms fanatic, Rusty loved firearms training and considered himself the best, especially long-range shooting. He was a record holder, thank you very much.

Yzak and Athrun haven't really been getting along well during these four months and with Yzak's constant defeats against Athrun, he was starting to get on each other's nerves. There really was no pleasing him, even after his first victory over chess. The guy really needed to work on his temper. Rusty was glad he changed rooms yesterday. Somehow he got stuck with Yzak for four months straight and he didn't like it one bit.

'Yo Rusty.' Dearka floated into the room along with Yzak and Nicol.

Rusty looked up from the magazine he was reading. 'What's going on?' Athrun too stopped fiddling with his tools.

'Doing good for your little fiancée again?' Nicol teased, looking over Athrun's shoulders.

'We got orders to a meeting tomorrow morning at ten hours, says it's important.' Yzak said, sitting down with a bottle of water in his hand.

'Again? They _always_ say they're important.' Rusty muttered, turning the page of his magazine.

'What are you reading there?' Dearka asked curiously.

'Not porn, if that's why you're asking.' Rusty said dryly, eyeing Dearka, who shrugged and moved towards the magazine rack in the lounge.

'Firearms, again?' Yzak rolled his eyes. 'Don't you get tired of all this stuff, we practically sleep with them.'

'Yeah, when I want to sleep with women instead.' Dearka muttered, flipping through the swimsuit catalogue.

'You're sick Dearka.' Rusty said. 'That's a woman's catalogue, by the way.'

'Who cares?' Dearka shrugged.

Yzak rolled his eyes. 'You're hopeless Rusty.'

'Thank you.'

'By the way, are we ever going to get a day off?' Dearka asked out loud, looking over his shoulders.

'Why? You got a date?' Athrun asked absently.

'More like a fling.' Nicol smirked, taking out a piano piece from his bag.

'Shut up sissy!' Dearka hissed.

'I don't think you want a day off to see you're Father.' Yzak snarled, letting his body float into the air.

'Tell me about it.' Dearka rolled his eyes. 'The man is nothing but annoying. You should've heard his last lecture on me.'

'All of you're parents are in the council, is that right?' Rusty asked absently, looking up. The four looked at each other and nodded.

'Why the question? Nicol asked.

Rusty shrugged. 'Nothing, just wondering.' He was the only orphan in the whole team and didn't have any strings attached. He was basically a free man.

'Nicol Amarfi, line one please.' The communicator beeped.

'Who is it, your Mama?' Dearka jeered.

Nicol glared at him and made a move to throw the water bottle, but stopped when Athrun shook his head.

'Shut up!' Rusty muttered, whacking Dearka in the head with his magazine. 'This is no place to pick a fight, especially between the five of us.'

'Say that again and you'll be dead.' Nicol warned, pointing a finger at him.

'Why, I never knew little Nicol would get ticked off.' Dearka sneered.

Rusty sighed. He was always caught in the middle of things. It was either a fight between Dearka and Nicol or Yzak's fury towards an expressionless Athrun. He himself could get along with all five of them easily, but there were times when he had to take sides.

The day went by without anything big happening. Athrun kept himself locked in his own room after dinner, fiddling with another one of his gadgets. Yzak and Dearka spent the rest of the night in recreation room, having a game of pool with the other ZAFT soldiers on the base and Nicol killed time with Miguel and some other technician in the cafeteria, having trivial conversations.

Rusty spent about two hours in the ammo locker before retiring to his quarters and found Athrun asleep with his arms folded under his head. Shaking his head, he kicked his chair, waking him up abruptly.

'What?' Athrun sat up and looked around with dazed eyes. 'What have you been doing? You have grease all over your face.'

Rusty rubbed his cheeks. 'Nothing, I was in the cage.'

Athrun yawned. 'I don't get you, I really don't.'

'I'm not for you to get.' Rusty said flatly.

Shrugging, Athrun stood up and sat on his bed, staring at the photograph on the shelf.

'You're Mother?' Rusty asked, sitting down on his bed.

Athrun nodded. 'She died on Junis 7.'

Rusty nodded and collapsed on his bed. 'At least you still got a father, Patrick Zala right?'

'You're an orphan right?' Athrun asked.

Rusty nodded, giving him a toothy grin. With his flaming red hair, he looked like a cowboy. 'Parents died long time ago, I don't even know what they looked like, or was I abandoned? I really don't know, I lived in the orphanage ever since I could remember.'

'Well, you seem to enjoy life for an orphan.' Athrun commented, taking out his computer.

'Why not, you got to live, why not live it in a happier way. I mean, if I were anything like Yzak, I'd already have a heart attack.' Rusty wrinkled his nose. 'No thank you.'

'What made you so into firearms?' Athrun asked, crossing his legs.

Rusty shrugged. 'Because they're amazing. Dearka said I spend so much time with my babes I should go off and marry a girl who makes guns.' He wrinkled his nose. 'I doubt their existence.'

Athrun laughed. 'You're hopeless.'

Rusty smirked. 'I say so myself Athrun.' Stretching, he fell back on the bed. 'I'm so glad I'm roomies with you this month.'

'Why? Yzak giving you a hard time?' Athrun smirked.

Rusty rolled his eyes. 'Tell me about it. He gets vicious every time he loses to you. First it's horseback riding, then Mobile Suits Training and now chess.'

'I lost.' Athrun muttered.

'But you don't break stuff.' Rusty cried. 'I hope I don't get stuck with him next month.'

Athrun smiled. 'Who knows what will happen next month.'

Rusty shrugged. 'Maybe we'll get a sortie order and someone dies.'

Athrun looked at him silently before the doors slid open, Miguel entering.

'You guys are still up?' Miguel frowned.

'I just got back!' Rusty protested, sitting up again.

'At the ammo locker again?' Miguel guessed.

'Where else can you find him?' Aurel Kudenerg sneered, following Miguel. 'Really, you're a freak Rusty.'

'Thank you.' Rusty said dryly.

'What time is it by the way?' Athrun asked, yawning.

'Two.' Miguel said shortly. 'Now get your ass in bed or you'll never wake up in time for Captain Klueze's "important" meeting'.

'Yes sir!'

* * *

'Extortion?' Rusty looked down at the photos laid before them with raised eyebrows. 'All five of them?'

'Yes.' Raww le Klueze said, picking up one photo. 'Intelligence confirmed that OMNI is developing a new type of Mobile Suits on Heliopolis.'

'Are you sure?' Nicol looked down at the photos. 'I mean, Heliopolis is a neutral colony of Orb, they have no reason to do this? Unless…'

'They've secretly allied with Earth Alliance.' Yzak finished for him, his eyebrows twitching. 'And that is no where good for ZAFT.'

'This is bad.' Rusty muttered, letting his feet float while holding onto the huge table before him. 'This is really bad. If Heliopolis turns into an OMNI station, chances are we'll be surrounded.'

'You're right Rusty.' Klueze turned the lights to the strategic rooms off and turned on the projector, a map before them. 'That's why we're going to extort these units and destroy the battleship they are building.'

'I still don't get it, why would Orb allow armaments being built in their own neutral colony?' Nicoli pondered.

'There's no such thing as neutral when real war comes.' Yzak countered. 'Being neutral would just get in the way of making things happen.'

Klueze nodded. 'Your mission will be the extortion of these mobile suits, as I said before. Each of you will bring a team of ten and will be assisted by our MS team in the exterior. Our carrier will sneak you into Heliopolis and from there you will infiltrate the factory. The first thing, however, is to destroy their security system. Bombing devices will be set in these areas.'

The five of them looked up where the passages that lead up to what seemed like the battleship workshop had blinking lights.

'After the detonation, the five of you will be responsible for extorting the five Mobile Suits and bring them back to Vesalius where the data of these Mobile Suits will be collected for further development of ZAFT's armaments.' Klueze continued. 'This operation is highly dangerous and I will only entrust it to the best soldiers I have. If you fail to capture any one of the MS, I will order the MS team to destroy it by all means. We will not let this kind of weapon go against PLANT.'

The five of them were silent as they studied the map.

'Miguel Ayman will be in charge of the MS team operation.' Klueze said, changing the map.

'How about the battleship?' Yzak asked.

'That is an ambiguity, we still do not know how powerful it is so there's no saying what we will do with it.' Klueze replied. 'But this will not be of your concern. Your mission will be to capture the units and bring them back to Versalius. The operation will commence on the twenty fifth at fifteen hours. There will be further strategic meetings and you will be assigned your team, any questions?'

The next three days were packed with strategic meets and equipment preparation. It was a big deal for all five of them because it was their first major operation and it was a very dangerous and important one. They were all shocked to find out that a neutral colony was building OMNI suits and from the reports, the G series were very advanced models that could cause high destruction. If ZAFT got hold of the information, the face of war would be different.

The five of them were silent as they changed into their suits in the locker room. Their equipment were outside and they were scheduled to leave in an hour.

Buckling his suit, Rusty did a final check on his shot gun and made sure he had enough ammunition. 'Nervous Athrun?'

Athrun looked at him silently.

'Too bad we've been roomies for only a week.' Rusty commented, taking his helmet off from the shelf.

'We were roommates at the academy.' Athrun said quietly.

'This is going to be war.' Rusty said, hanging the shotgun over his shoulder, giving his roommate and comrade a smirk. 'We might die.'

'We're not going to die.' Athrun said firmly, loading his shotgun. 'We're _not._'

Rusty just smirked and motioned for his team of soldiers to follow him into the carrier.

'Ready?' Yzak asked as they met up in the carrier. They were to sit at the very back while Nicol sat at the front with his team.

Rusty nodded and let Athrun up first. 'But, you know, you think it's okay?'

'What do you mean?' Yzak asked, seating himself beside him.

'Attacking a neutral colony. This operation isn't exactly a quiet one you know.' Rusty said with an uncertain smile.

Yzak snorted while Dearka relaxed himself beside him, moving his neck and shoulders. 'And you think a neutral colony has the right to build OMNI weapons? You've got to be kidding me.'

Rusty stared at Yzak's angry face for a second before letting out a laugh. He was too straightforward, everything was written on his face. 'Of course not.'

'People.' The five of them looked up at the communicator and found Miguel looking down at them. 'Don't rush through things.'

'Roger that.' Rusty replied, then turned to Yzak, noting Athrun's silence. 'Let's go.'

'OK.'

Rusty closed his eyes and relaxed himself. 'Don't forget, "for the sake of ZAFT"'.

The ride wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was better than the usual. The ride was less than fifteen minutes and when they were unloaded, they found themselves in front of a shaft opening that would lead them directly to the Morgenroete factory.

Opening the cover of his wrist, Yzak's timer started. They had exactly one minutes to get through the shaft which had a highly sensitive laser security system. Giving the signal, the five teams moved down the shaft in time and found themselves staring through a cage that allowed them a glimpse of the new battleship OMNI had built.

'It's this one.' Yzak muttered through his communicator.

Raising his hands, Athrun gave instructions to split up the team. They were going to locate their devices in a way that the whole of Morgenroete would be damaged.

'Done.' Rusty heard Athrun, Dearka and Nicol report.

'Let's get the hell out of here.' Rusty said, giving Yzak a signal.

'Roger.'

The whole team met up at a high spot where they overlooked the whole Morgenroete factory and found three G suits.

'That's what we're looking for.' Yzak said, looking into his binoculars. 'Just what Captain Klueze said, the G suits.'

'They'll come out of their holes when something little happens.' Dearka smirked, 'Naturals really are stupid compared to us coordinators.'

Looking down, Rusty closed his eyes as the explosion continued. 'We're almost done then.'

'We found our boys, targets are at the thirty-seventh gateway.'

'Roger that.' Miguel said through his communicator. 'That was fast, Yzak, impressive.'

They watched as the MS team started firing at the three G suits parked at the entrance.

'Let's go.' Yzak said, jumping off the cliff. 'Destroy all parts than cannot be removed.'

'This is going to be bloody.' Dearka commented, pulling on his trigger.

'There should be five suits according to the reports.' Yzak murmured, raising his eyebrows. 'Where the hell are the other two?'

'Rusty's team and I will find the other two suits. You three take care of these.' Athrun said from behind him.

'Okay, leave it to me.' Yzak responded, turning to Nicol and Dearka. 'Get on your own suit and deactivate the self-detonation system.'

'Roger.'

'Let's go Rusty.' Athrun said, turning into another direction.

'Into the gateway.' Rusty shouted over the gunfire. 'They should still be in the factory and haven't been moved out.'

'Cover me!' Athrun yelled, firing at a few technicians.

Pulling the safety lock on his grenade, Rusty threw it out just in time for a loud explosion. Running forward, he pulled the trigger of his shotgun.

'This is getting bloody!' Rusty muttered, taking cover behind a car.

'It's there!' Athrun cried. 'Let's go!'

'Look out!' Rusty took out his knife and threw it across the air, stabbing it into one of the technicians. 'Be careful!'

'Let's go.' Athrun said, running forward while instructing his team to take cover.

'Shit.' Rusty cursed at another explosion that carried dust through the factory. 'How many did we plant?'

'Damn it!' Athrun yelled. 'Copper!'

Rusty turned, just in time to see one of his teammates fall from multiple gunshots.

'Son of a bitch.' Rusty cursed. All this for PLANT? If they didn't capture these units, there would be more bloodshed, he had to convince himself that this notion justified the chaos they were creating. If OMNI hadn't taken the initiative in building weapons on a neutral colony, then none of this would have happen, no one will die.

It was right, right?

'Blow 'em up!' Rusty yelled.

'We're losing here! If we're not careful, the whole place might explode!' Athrun yelled over the noise.

'Damn it.' Rusty cursed, hiding behind another box, a bullet barely hitting him. 'I'll cover you and when the chance comes, get into that damned mobile suits!'

'Be careful! There's more than six armed out there.' Athrun said, pulling at the safety lock of another grenade.

Jumping out, Rusty rolled onto his back and hid behind a construction car. He wasn't going to lose now when they were so close to completing this mission. No, he wasn't going to lose to naturals.

Taking out another grenade, he threw it out and took cover at the explosion. Raising his shotgun, he pulled the trigger, his eyes squinting at the smoke.

'Rusty! Look out!' He heard Athrun shout over the noise.

Out of the smoke, a technician with a shotgun in hand pulled the trigger and it was too late for him to dodge. The bullet shot right through Rusty's helmet and all he could hear was the shatter of the protective shield. He winced as two bullets shot through his chest.

_'Rusty!'_ he could hear Athrun shout over the fire and smoke.

He couldn't see anything, there was only noise. His world went dark as he lost complete conscious. He was going to die, he knew it.

_'This is going to be war. We might die.' _

_'We're not going to die. We're not.'_

**End of Chapter 1  
**_Next Update: 14th August, 2005_


	3. Chapter 2

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 2**

He heard noises, they sounded like guns being fixed. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't.

_I'm dead and I can still hear the sound of guns, how crazy am I about firearms?_ Rusty thought sarcastically. He pursed his lips and groaned at the pain he felt in his chest and wondered why it still hurt when he was already dead.

'You're not dead, don't move or your wound will bust wide open.' An impatient male voice said.

_I'm not dead? How could that be? I was shot in the head!_ Rusty thought frantically. _There's no way! _

'I told you to lie down and don't move! Damn it!' The impatient voice ordered, trying to push Rusty down onto the bed again. He cursed when Rusty felt his wound rip. 'Miss Lain, the guy's awake and his wound's busted!'

Rusty froze when he heard light footsteps come his way. His eyebrows twitched at the soft hand that touched his shoulder. It was definitely a girl.

'What did you do Jevo?' the female voice asked flatly. Rusty felt the bed sink on the side. 'Get me the box.'

'Yes Miss.'

'Who are…' Rusty felt himself unable to speak, his throat extremely dry.

'Don't say anything.' The female voice said in her flat voice. 'I'll give you some water once I get your wound fixed, and don't move because it's still pretty bad.'

'Here you go, Miss.' Jevo Hake handed her the first aid box.

'Can you help him sit up?' She asked.

'Of course.'

Rusty winced at the sting of his wound and almost jumped up in pain when she tied the wound tightly. He wanted to shout out loud and even curse the woman but couldn't, much to his frustration.

'You can go Jevo.' The female voice said after they settled Rusty against the headboard.

'But Miss Lain, he's – ' Jevo protested.

'I know, and I'll be fine. You have to report to my Father immediately. I'll be fine. I've taken care of myself for so long, you don't need to worry at all.' She insisted.

'Well, if you say so, call me if anything happens, I don't trust him.' Jevo said, then walked out the room, closing the door behind him.

Rusty felt the weight of the bed lift and heard the clanging of glass. She was getting him water. Sitting down beside him again, she lifted the glass to his lips and gently poured the water into his mouth. She had very soft hands, incredibly soft and supple fingertips.

'Who are you?' Rusty asked after finishing his water, his voice still a bit coarse.

'My name's Lain van Ness.' The girl said, putting down the glass. 'Jevo and I saved you from Heliopolis. You had two shots in your chest, luckily they weren't lethal ones. You were lucky we passed by or you would have died in the fire.'

'Fire?' Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Hold on, why were you on Heliopolis, if you saw me, then you must have been in Morgenroete! What the hell were you doing there?'

'That's none of your business Rusty MacKenzie.' Lain snapped.

'How did you - ' Rusty grabbed her arm, stopping her from getting up.

'You're dog tag.' Lain said shortly.

'Why are my eyes wrapped?' Rusty asked, fingering the gauze wrapped around his head.

Lain sighed and pulled her arm away. 'You got shot in the helmet but it didn't get your head. The bits from the protective shield that shattered from the force went into your eyes.'

'You mean… I'm blind?' Rusty asked carefully.

'No, well, not exactly.' Lain replied, sitting up. 'The doctor said it may take months before your eyes could heal, so I guess you'll just have to wait.'

'Right.' Rusty said sarcastically. 'And what will I do until then?'

'Look, you should be grateful that you still have your life.' Lain scoffed.

'Well, I didn't ask you to save me!' Rusty countered. 'I should have died out there because I failed on the mission! Who told _you_ to mind my business?'

'Well, then I'm sorry.' Lain snapped.

Rusty started to panic when he heard her turn on her heal. 'Wait, I didn't mean that, I – ' Losing his balance, he tumbled out of the bed and groaned in pain. It was till now that he realized he was completely naked.

Sighing, Lain helped him get back into the bed and draped the sheets across his lap. Luckily, the bandages were still in place.

'Look, I'm sorry, it's just… I never thought this would happen, that I'd survive the raid.' Rusty apologized.

'Well you did, so suck it up.' Lain said flatly.

'What day is it? Where am I?' Rusty asked, touching his forehead.

'You've been out for over a week.' Lain replied. 'You're at Aprilius One, this is my apartment at the outskirts of the city.'

'A week?' Rusty exclaimed. 'You mean…'

'Heliopolis fell, if that's why you want to know.' Lain said.

'It fell? What do you mean it _fell_?' Rusty demanded, gripping her arm again.

'It collapsed a few hours after the raid.' Lain replied, wincing at his strength. 'There was a serious mobile suits battle and the main axis was hit, so it just, fell apart.'

'How about the Mobile Suits? Did it get back to Versalius safely?' Rusty asked, shaking Lain.

'How would I know, I'm not a ZAFT solder.' Lain muttered, pulling her hand away from him.

'I'm sorry.' Rusty said softly, leaning his back to the headboard. 'Could you do me a favor?'

'What?' Lain looked at him.

'Is there a TV here?' Rusty asked. 'I want to listen to the news.'

Lain turned around. 'Television on.'

'We never had the intention to occupy Earth, nor have we the intention to continue with this bloody war, but, as the situation has developed so drastically, we have no choice but to carry out measures to protect PLANT. A self-proclaimed neutral Heliopolis has betrayed us and has leaned against Earth Alliance. They want us to trust them again and open negotiation, but now, it has become nearly impossible.'

'Patrick Zala, Athrun's father.' Rusty muttered, leaning forward slightly.

'Patrick Zala, senior council has made it clear that ZAFT will do anything to protect PLANT against Earth Alliance aggression. The unexpected fall of Heliopolis has caused two hundred deaths and all refugees will be deflected to the Kingdom of Orb…'

'Television off.' Rusty commanded. Sighing, he lied back down. Lain had left the room already and it was quiet, very quiet, deathly quiet. He wondered if the lights of the room were on because he couldn't sense anything with the annoying gauze wrapped around his eyes.

Two hundred people have died on Heliopolis, among them, there were bound to be the ones he killed. Wincing at the sudden pain in his chest, Rusty rolled onto his side and exhaled loudly, sweat forming on his forehead. He was blind now, even if it was temporary, and there was no way he could return to ZAFT in this condition, nor could he live off a stranger.

'What shit have I gotten myself into? I should've just died.'

* * *

'Who are you?' Athrun asked, the door sliding shut behind him. A girl in a green uniform was hovering over Rusty's bed.

'Sir.' The girl saluted him. 'I came on orders to organize Lieutenant MacKenzie's relics.'

'Right.' Athrun nodded, watching the girl zip the duffle bag up. Rusty's uniform was folded neatly beside the two bags and when the girl was done, she saluted Athrun and left.

Taking a deep breath, Athrun lied down on his bed and stared at the white ceiling. He was always thinking and Rusty would chide him into a conversation, breaking the silence. He was really a big brother to him and despite his slightly goofy personality, he was a very sensible person. He'd know what to do and know when to stop, unlike Yzak. He was just the happy-go-lucky kind of person who'd enjoy life whenever he had the chance.

Rusty MacKenzie was one big mystery and he'd pass questions of him he didn't want to answer with a toothy grin. Despite that, he was a great friend and also a great soldier. And now, he was dead.

Athrun floated in the air at a slight impact of the ship and turned on his side, looking at what was left on the bed beside him.

'Rusty… Miguel.' Athrun closed his eyes in pain. In less than seven hours, he had lost two of his closest, most trusted comrades. This was war, it was really war. Their lives were at stake, there was no room for mistakes anymore, no room for mercy, or someone will die.

'Athrun, are you in there?' Nicol's voice came through the communicator.

Pushing himself up, his feet landed on the floor and the door opened.

'You okay Athrun?' Nicol asked in his gentle voice.

'Yeah, I need to drink something.' Athrun said, walking out of his room.

'I can't believe they're actually gone.' Nicol said quietly, looking out the window of Versalius. 'Rusty and Miguel, they've really died haven't they.'

Athrun took a deep breath. 'This is war, it really is war.'

'We can die anytime.' Nicol sighed, sitting down at the table of the lounge. 'One of us can die anytime and there won't be any preparation for it at all. We have to move on with it.'

'You're stronger than me Nicol.' Athrun smiled. 'You really are.'

Nicol smiled back.

'Athrun.' The door slid open and Dearka came in.

'Is something wrong?' Athrun asked, looking up.

Dearka shook his head and handed him a magazine, it was a copy of 'Sniper'. 'The gun bunnies found this in the ammo locker.'

Athrun stood up and took the magazine with trembling hands.

'I thought you could put it back with his other stuff.' Dearka said quietly. 'He loved it.'

'I know.' Athrun whispered.

_'Who knows what will happen next month.' _

_'Maybe we'll get a sortie and someone dies.' _

* * *

'Doc, he hasn't spoken in two weeks, ever since he woke up. It's starting to freak me out, you sure he's okay?' Jevo asked, leaning against the wall as Dr. Nargent cleaned up Rusty's wound. It was almost healed with a pretty ugly scar.

'Psychological effects I guess.' Nargent responded, pulling on the bandage tightly. He shook his head when Rusty didn't even budge. If anyone knew better they'd think he was asleep. 'Help me get him up Jevo.'

Sighing, Jevo walked forward and hauled him up. He was dead weight and made no effort of getting up himself.

'How are his eyes? Don't tell me he's going to go blind forever.' Jevo muttered.

'It will heal, but it will take time and patience.' Nargent said, carefully unwrapping the gauze. 'I take that you've taken good care of him.'

'Me?' Jevo shook his head. 'I have no idea how he survived, I only come when you come.'

'So I guess it's Miss Lain then.' Nargent said. 'I wonder what her Father would say if he finds out his daughter's living with a man.'

'He wouldn't be happy.' Jevo grumbled. 'It's not that they could do anything though, he _is_ blind.'

'Right.' Narget gave the gauze a tug, fastening it over Rusty's eyes. 'All set, I'll see you in two days.'

'Thank you Nargent.' Lain came in with a bottle in her hand.

'Now, remember that he has to take his medicine on time.' Nargent instructed, standing up. 'And now that the wound is more or less healed, he can take showers instead of only wiping his body. God he stinks, please make him take showers.'

'You got it.' Lain smiled.

'He can't though, how on earth can he take showers?' Jevo wondered, looking at Lain weirdly.

'I think of it.' Lain said, smirking. 'You might want to take Nargent back to the headquarters, Jevo.'

Jevo sighed. 'I guess I don't have a choice. By the way, you know when the thing is, right?'

Lain nodded. 'I'll take care of it.'

Closing the door to her apartment, she turned and walked back to the room Rusty stayed. She stared at the closed door, not really knowing what to do. The situation was getting complicated and she only had herself to blame. Rusty wasn't an ordinary person, he was a ZAFT elite soldier who is now blind with two bullet shots in his torso, that ought to explain the situation she was in.

Sighing, she pushed the door open just in time to see Rusty roll out of bed again, luckily, he had his boxers on for once.

'You do know that without your eyesight, it's hard to balance.' Lain said shortly, watching as Rusty tried to stand up. Holding his hands in the air, he felt for the wall as if he hadn't heard her at all. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall and watched Rusty hit the wall, falling back in pain, covering his nose with one palm. 'Told you.'

'I need to go to the washroom and I've been doing this for two weeks already.' Rusty muttered, standing up again.

'I see the temper coming.' Lain said, uncrossing her arms. 'You need to take a shower, you stink like hell.'

'You think I can take a shower in this condition?' Rusty scoffed, lowering his head. 'You need to be smarter than this lady.'

Lain shrugged. 'You can't take a shower by yourself.'

'Oh, so you want to help me.' Rusty snapped.

'Yeah.' The prompt answer surprised Rusty and he almost fell off his feet.

'Get out.' Rusty muttered, steadying himself.

'You should think for a second who this place belongs to.' Lain snapped, grabbing his wrist and pulling him forward. Ignoring his protests, she pushed him into the bathroom and forced him into the shower stall. 'I'm not going to strip you for god's sake, I'm just going to show you where the stuff are.'

'Oh, and I was scared for your virginity, if you still have it.' Rusty jeered.

Glaring at him, Lain grabbed his hand and placed it on the shower. 'The towels are just beside the glass door, be careful of the step, I don't want you to hurt your head, it's already as bad as it can be.'

'Is there a robe?' Rusty asked.

'It's right beside the towels. I'll be outside, yell if you need me.' Lain said in her monotonous voice. 'Don't be too long, I don't want to wreck the door and see you naked. I really don't appreciate people dying in my apartment.'

'Fine.' Rusty snapped. 'Now get out!'

Clenching her teeth, Lain stomped out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Pulling at his red hair, Rusty pulled off his boxers and placed them on what seemed like the basin. He made his way towards the shower, being extra careful of the step Lain had warned him about. Sliding the glass doors shut, he grabbed hold of the shower and turned it on, careful that the water didn't splash into his face. Sighing, he wondered if he could ask Lain to wash his hair, it was itching like hell and he had to be extra careful about the water getting into his eyes.

Outside, Lain glared at the door before walking out the room. Entering the kitchen, she headed straight for the fridge and took out a bottle of water. Popping the lid open, she drained it down and took deep breaths. She hadn't been this pissed in a long time.

_Keep your cool Van Ness._ Lain thought, kicking herself mentally. She wasn't going to lose her cool over a jackass like him. She wasn't around to save people and lesson learnt, people don't appreciate their lives being saved. She really had no idea why she had to do this in the first place, why couldn't she have just left him to die on Heliopolis? If he had died, she wouldn't have to worry about the next step. No way was she going to turn him in but if her Father knew about this, chances are he'd be dead in the next second, or worse…

Sighing, she leaned against the counter and picked up a pistol that was lying beside sink, checking the security lock. There were still a few busted shotguns that needed to be repaired and she was working on a new sniper rifle. She'd be lucky if she had everything fixed by next week.

Fingering the pistol, Lain frowned at something sticky, raising her fingers to eyelevel, she saw that it was dried blood.

_How many lives has this pistol taken?_ Lain thought. She looked up when the phone rang, it was Jevo.

'The boss wants to see you at fifteen hours tomorrow.'

'Fine.' Lain mumbled. He knew exactly what he wanted.

'Don't piss him off like you use to.' Jevo warned. 'Novia already pissed him off.'

'Oh God, what did she do this time?' Lain murmured, rolling her eyes.

'You know, the usual bar stuff, but this time, I heard she got someone, uh, sterile, if you know what I mean.' Jevo said.

'Right.' Lain said dryly, then hung up the phone.

Grabbing a polishing cloth from the drawer, she started polishing the gun, trying to wipe off the dried blood. She couldn't work with blood on it, she just couldn't.

'What's that in your hand?'

At the voice, Lain whirled around and found herself pointing the gun at Rusty, who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen with only his robe on.

Lain's eyebrows twitched. 'You didn't wash your hair?'

'Look, I couldn't, so you have to help me.' Rusty said flatly, feeling for the table.

'That's a very polite way to ask a favor from someone.' Lain said dryly, putting the gun down on the counter.

'What's that, a T5X?' Rusty asked, turning his head slightly at Lain's direction.

Lain looked at him for a moment before tossing the gun across the air, not surprised that he caught it without hesitation. 'You have good ears and you know a lot about firearms.'

Rusty shrugged. 'I was in the military, got to have known something.' He fingered the pistol and his eyebrows furrowed. 'There's blood.'

'Well, when you kill with a gun, there's bond to be blood.' Lain said warily, sitting down across from him. She raised her eyebrows when Rusty pointed the gun at her. 'It's not loaded you know.'

'It'll probably give you a scare.' Rusty said sarcastically, lowering his head. 'Why did you save me?'

Lain got the feeling that he was getting really serious and wondered if she should give him straight answers.

'Well?' Rusty cocked his head.

Lain shrugged and leaned back, looking down the gun barrel. 'I don't want to see people die before me, as simple as that.'

'You know you make weapons that kill, no?' Rusty scoffed, lowering the gun. 'My life would have been less miserable if you hadn't saved me, your life too would be less frustrating now.'

'True.' Lain admitted. 'I'm still pondering on what to make of you. Those eyes of yours won't be able to see for at least a few months. If you step out of this building, you might get yourself killed. If I let you stay here, I'd be in deep shit.'

'A deadlock?' Rusty suggested.

'I guess so.' Lain raised her head and looked at the ceiling. 'We can't say anything until your eyes can actually see again. I got myself into this mess and it's only logical that I take responsibility until something happens, which I hope, doesn't.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows and leaned forward. 'Are you sure about this?

'I'm not left with much choice now am I?' Lain scoffed, tapping the table with her finger. 'I have my idiotically good intentions to blame.'

'They are idiotic.' Rusty smirked, crossing his arms. 'Don't regret it, because I can be big trouble.'

Lain looked at him for second, then ran her fingers through her long black hair. 'You're already trouble, Mr. MacKenzie.'

**  
End of Chapter 2  
Next Update: 17th August, 2005  
**


	4. Chapter 3

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 3**

'No!' Rusty bolted up, clutching the sheets. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and his body was soaked with sweat.

It was another dream, another fucking dream.

'Damn it!' Rusty cursed, rolling off the bed, his back hitting the carpeted floor. Curling himself into a ball, he pulled the sheets over his head.

The darkness engulfing him was horrifying, it was absolutely horrifying. He could hear the screams, the shouts echoing in his mind yet he couldn't see a thing, anything. The people he killed in that raid was haunting him.

'Why? Why can't I see anything?' Rusty whispered to himself. Was it because he killed so many people? He hated this darkness, he just hated it.

His heart was racing, he was scared, really scared. He felt hopeless, plunged into a pit of darkness and had the feeling that he'll never see light again. It had been four months, four fucking months and there was no progress at_ all! _

Touching the gauze around his head, he gritted his teeth and made a move to rip it apart.

Outside, Lain was looking at some files in her computer, modifying some blueprints when she heard a loud curse. Sighing, she put down the cup she had been drinking from and stood up.

It had been four months and it unbelievable that they were still living under the same roof. Rusty MacKenzie was one seriously troubled guy and his blindness explained a lot. Every time he cursed, she kicked herself for being stupid enough to actually cope with him.

Rolling her eyes, Lain closed her laptop and stepped out of the kitchen. Pushing the door to Rusty's room open, she cursed when she saw Rusty's hand reaching for the gauze around his head.

'You're insane.' Lain said firmly, slapping his hand away. Ripping the sheets away from him, she stared down at Rusty's curled form and was stunned to see tears streaming down his cheeks, wetting the gauze that was wrapped around his eyes. Sighing, she laid one hand on his eyes but Rusty waved it away in irritation.

'Get the fucking hell out!'

'You put yourself in this shit, don't blame me.' Lain said flatly, pushing him down onto the floor, trying to calm him down.

'Get off me!' Rusty shouted, shaking his head violently. 'Let me open my eyes damn it!'

'You know you can't.' Lain said softly, pushing him down by the shoulders again.

'I want light…' Rusty whispered, his struggles dying down. 'Let me see light…'

'Be patient, you're going to someday.' Lain murmured. Leaning over, she reached for a box of tissue and wiped the tears that had wetted his cheeks. Hauling him up, she forced him to lie on the side of the bed. 'Don't make me tie you to the bed, you know I can do it.'

At that, Rusty froze and turned his head. 'You won't.'

'Wanna bet?' Lain widened her eyes slightly even though he couldn't see her threatening face.

Rusty snorted and crossed his arms. 'I don't get why you put up with me.'

'Believe me, I ask myself the same question.' Lain muttered. Reaching for the tray on the nightstand, she shook two pills out of case and poured a glass of water. 'Take it.'

Clenching his teeth, Rusty felt for the glass of water and slapped it away from Lain's hand, hearing the dull sound of it hitting the carpeted floor. The water splashed everywhere and wetted Lain's shirt.

'Great.' Lain muttered, looking down. 'What do you want?'

'I want to die.' Rusty replied promptly, lowering his eyebrows.

Looking at him, she shook her head and stood up, unbuttoning her wet shirt. 'You know you had the perfect opportunity, the room is full of things that can kill you, glass, if I remind you, is very effective.'

'Thanks for the reminder.' Rusty scoffed. Standing up, he lost his balanced and fell forward. Seeing this, Lain leaned forward and grabbed hold of him. She froze when Rusty's face hit her chest.

'Get off me.' Lain grunted, pushing him so hard he fell on the bed.

'If it weren't for those breasts of yours, I'd say you were a guy.' Rusty jeered, sitting up. 'Not that big by the way.'

'Then you should hook up with my sister, hers are twice my size.' Lain snapped. Walking into the bathroom, she ripped the robe from the railing and threw it on.

Rusty sneered. 'Maybe I should.' He listened to her angry footsteps and smirked when the door slammed shut. She made a good distraction and the only entertainment he had during these six months were attempts to piss her off which he had gotten pretty good at. She had been as cold as ice for the first three months and it had driven him crazy. He wasn't exactly the talkative kind but he did need company and apparently, she was the only choice for him.

She never let him out of the apartment so he really had nothing to do but walk around his own room, feeling the items in it and trying not to stumble on anything. It had taken him almost a month until he was able to take showers alone.

Sighing, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He had lived in total darkness for the last six months and the dreams were haunting him. He'd often find himself jolt up in bed, pain piercing through his chest. The bullet shots had healed months ago but somehow, they still hurt whenever he thought of the raid. It wasn't a pleasant experience after all.

He could still see the bullets come his way, piercing through his helmet. He could still hear the echoing shatters in his ears at night and Athrun's shouts. At times like this, he missed his comrades and wondered if the four of them had managed to kill each other without his presence.

'You're dead to them MacKenzie.' Rusty muttered, falling onto his side. 'You're a dead man to the world, why not finish the job yourself?'

He did have the impulse to just break the glass and cut himself, but something pulled him back just when he decided to reach for it. He didn't know why, but he was frustrated about it.

Touching his eyes, he took deep breaths. He needed to get out of here.

Eyebrows furrowing, Rusty cocked his head slightly at the footsteps that faded away. She was leaving the apartment, which meant it was Tuesday and one thirty in the morning.

She usually left the apartment at this time, this was what he noticed in the second week he lived here. She didn't even go out to buy groceries, everything was delivered to her door. He had no idea how big the apartment was except for the kitchen and the living room. He was better off living in a barrack than in here, at least he didn't have to break the code every time he wanted to get out.

He knew nothing about her, except for probably her name. He did, however, notice that she had a lot of firearms in the apartment and he would hear her fixing them at night when it was really quiet outside. He suspected that she did something with weapons or even intelligence. He'd wonder with a frown why she was Heliopolis during the raid.

He was certain about one thing though. She was not a simple person.

* * *

Novita van Ness cursed loudly as the phone rang. Crawling out of bed, she grabbed the phone from its receiver, giving the cord such a big yank the whole thing fell onto the floor.

'What the fuck!' The man in her bed yelled, rolling onto his side.

'Fuck yourself.' Novita snapped, standing up. 'What is it?'

'Miss Novita, believe me, you'd like to hear this.'

Shooting a glance at the bed, she threw herself onto the easy chair of her huge room and curled the cord around her ankle. 'What is it?'

'Your sister.'

Novita's eyebrows furrowed. 'What about the bitch?'

'She's got a guy in her apartment, to the looks of it, he's more than just a guy.'

Novita's eyes widened slightly. 'What do you mean? My Father had been doing constant surveillance on her, how could he have not found out about this?'

'Beats me, but I got Jevo to spill the beans.'

Novita snorted. 'For a while, I thought that son of a bitch was her guy. Does Father know then?'

'I don't know about him. According to what I got here, she's been keeping this guy in her apartment for at least four months. She never lets him out of the apartment, so we don't know anything about him. We tapped the lines, but there was nothing special about them.'

'What does Jevo know about him?' Novita asked, twirling a lock of short burgundy hair between her fingers.

'All he knows is he and Lain saved him at Heliopolis before the fall. Apparently they were on Heliopolis to witness the raid. He's a ZAFT raider.'

Novita's slips curved into a small smile. 'A ZAFT raider? This is going to be interesting. My dumb sister doesn't spend her time on something that isn't of importance. And the fact that she doesn't let him out of her apartment gives me a feeling that she's up to something.'

'That's why I called you. What should we do?'

'Father has been very cautious of her actions and I'm sure he knows something. If he doesn't budge than I wouldn't either until something big happens. We still depend on her you know.'

'I know. Remember your meeting with Mr. Van Ness at ten.'

'Shit, it's already eight thirty.' Hanging up, Novita stood up and grabbed her wallet that was sitting on the nightstand. Taking out some money she tossed it onto the bed. 'Get out of my sight before I come out of the bathroom.'

'Whatever.' The man muttered.

Glaring at him, she walked into her private bathroom and slammed the door shut. Men, none of them were satisfying. The problem with having too much money and power was nothing could satisfy you. She needed more excitement, more pleasure! The men that roamed her bed were getting more and more boring. What was missing? She didn't need security, that's for sure. No, she'd bore herself out if she got married, or maybe having an affair would spice things up, an affair with a married man.

Sighing, Novia turned the shower on, wondering what kind of guy could catch the attention of her aloof sister.

* * *

'I want to go out.' Rusty said firmly.

'No.' Lain replied in an equally firm voice, typing away on her computer while sitting across Rusty in the kitchen.

'God damn it.' Rusty muttered, his eyebrows twitching in irritation. 'Why?'

'Because you'll die.' Lain said promptly. Standing up, she stretched and walked towards the counter, wanting to get a glass of water.

'You have no idea what it's like to live in darkness and not able to get out of this god damn house!' Lain heard Rusty protest. Turning around, she was surprised that he had walked up to her soundlessly. He couldn't have been able to see because the gauze was still wrapped around his eyes.

'You have a good sense of direction, for a blind guy.' Lain snarled, walking around him.

'Well, I had six months to get my way around this fucking place.' Rusty said sarcastically, grabbing her wrist. 'I'm going crazy here, crazy!'

'Better be crazy than dead.' Lain countered, pulling her hand away.

'If I can't go myself, then you come with me.' Rusty bargained. 'I don't even have to go somewhere, just outside.'

'Ha.' Lain snorted, looking up at him. 'I have better things to do than to escort a blind man to nowhere.'

'Oh, then what _do _you do?' Rusty sneered. 'Oh, I know, you fix guns and hack into ZAFT computers.'

Lain stared at him in silence, clutching her glass. She hated that smirk of his. 'You know, there's no use threatening me because you're life is basically at my mercy.'

'I'm not threatening you, I'm practically begging you' Rusty said.

Lain sighed. For the zillionth time, she kicked herself mentally, barracking herself for putting herself into this shit. 'Fine.'

'You're going to let me out?' Rusty asked hopefully.

'Just the park.' Lain said, standing up, her chair scraping the wooden floor. She glared at him even though he couldn't see, trying to vent her frustration. 'But I'm telling you, there might be a risk.'

'Why?'

Lain shook her head. 'Look, the less you know the better. I'll give you something to wear and shades, for the love of God.'

Ten minutes later, Rusty found himself dragged out of the apartment. His highly sensitive ears heard the elevator door open and he was pushed into it. 'What floor are we in?'

'Four.' Lain said, tapping her foot impatiently, looking around the elevator. 'There's a fire staircase at the back, but going down that thing would be a little too obvious, besides, I wouldn't want you to fall and break your nose, you've already got enough stuff broken.'

'Thanks for the encouragement.' Rusty said dryly, hearing the elevator chime. He was about to take a step when Lain stopped him. 'What?'

Lain turned him around to face her and made sure his shades were in place. The community she lived in wasn't exactly a dense one but if people saw a man with gauzed eyes they'd think or worse, judge.

'Why not smooth out my collar and jacket while we're at it?' Rusty smirked.

'Wait a minute.' Lain said absently, brushing some of his spiky red hair down from the hat she had him put on. Unconsciously, she pulled his collar straight and brushed his shoulders. Stepping back, she looked at him in satisfaction. He wasn't bad looking at all if he kept his shades on.

'Gee, you're like my wife, maybe we should just get married.' Rusty said slyly.

Realizing what she just did, Lain bit her lips and stomped out of the elevator without another word.

'Hey!' Rusty took a step forward and almost tripped. Grunting, Lain hooked her arm around his and walked out the lobby. Rusty could hear footsteps closing on them.

'Hello Miss.' A male voice said. 'Who is this, your boyfriend?'

'Just a friend.' Lain said. 'He's a little retarded, so he acts a little too childish.'

'Oh.' The man looked at Rusty with raised eyebrows. 'Well, see you later.'

'I'm retarded?' Rusty almost exploded as they walked out of the lobby into the street.

'Yeah, you are.' Lain said flatly. 'That's the only way I can explain why I'm bringing a man down with my arm hooked around his, so suck it up! You pay a price.'

Snorting, Rusty turned his head slightly at the sound of cars. 'Where are we?'

'In front of the building I live. There's a park across the street. I'm out of here in thirty minutes so you better treasure it.' Lain warned, pulling him to the left.

'Believe me, I will.' Rusty said, breathing in the evening air.

'What do you want to do, just walk or what?' Lain asked impatiently, looking around again.

'I prefer walking.' Rusty said. 'I've been either sitting or lying for the past six months, walking sounds good.'

'Fine.' Lain said, pulling him down the path. It was actually a very huge park and kids were running around, playing hide and seek. The paths were lined with finely manicured trees and family's were just hanging out under the shades or sitting on the benches, chatting about trivial things.

'What's in front of me?' Rusty asked, his ears twitching at the sound of people. His heart was exploding with excitement.

'A play set.' Lain said shortly, steering him away.

'Wait!' Rusty pulled her back. 'Are there kids over there?'

'Of course.' Lain rolled her eyes. 'Can we go now?' She frowned when Rusty didn't budge. Just then, a ball rolled over and hit him in the ankle.

'I'm sorry, are you okay?' a little boy asked.

'I'm alright, here you go.' Rusty lowered his body slowly and picked up the ball.

'Thanks!' the little boy cried, then ran away, not suspecting anything.

Lain stared at him. 'You _are_ a surprise sometimes.'

Rusty turned and smirked at her. 'Likewise.'

'Let's go.' Lain said, pulling him by the arm.

'What is it with you? Can't you feel the joy? Huh? It's family time!' Rusty said, stumbling behind her.

'I don't want to be affected by this joy.' Lain spat, pushing Rusty into a wooden bench.

'Why?' Rusty asked, crossing his legs. 'You know, you're nothing but silent shit, I get bored living with you, you know.'

Lain snorted. 'I don't believe in joy, only pain.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows and put his arms behind the bench pane. 'Come on, no childhood memories?'

'I don't have a family.' Lain said, hoping he'd sense the tone and change the topic, but no such luck for her.

'I thought you had a sister.' Rusty frowned.

'It's family history.' Lain replied, leaning back. 'As I said, the less you know, the better, so shut up.'

'What time is it?' Rusty asked. He felt a cool breeze sweep by, his spiky hair flying in the air. He turned his head slightly at soft locks brushing against his hand.

'Six.' Lain replied, looking down at her watch. 'It's dawn, the sun's setting.'

'What's it like?' Rusty asked. 'I may not see it again, so you might as well update me with it.'

Lain turned and looked at him. 'Don't say that or you'll never get out of my house.'

'True story.' Rusty shrugged. 'What's it like.'

'A big yellowy orange thing.' Lain muttered, crossing her arms.

'Like my hair?' Rusty suggested.

Lain looked up at him. 'A little darker.'

'How's the war going?' Rusty asked, catching her off guard. 'How's it going? You tap ZAFT lines, you should have a good picture.'

'I thought you listened to the news.' Lain said lowly.

'I'd rather get the situation from you, it may be more accurate.' Rusty said in a serious tone, sitting up straight.

'Well, you know, the same.' Lain looked down at her lap and started playing with her fingers.

'The same as in…' Rusty grabbed her hands. 'Stop it.'

Conscious of the heat coming from Rusty's hand, she looked away. 'Lacus Clyne betrayed PLANT.'

'Yeah, that I know, it's hard _not_ to get that with Yzak's mother blaring about it over the media.' Rusty muttered. 'What else? Stuff I don't know.'

'Athrun Zala betrayed ZAFT as well and Patrick Zala shot him.' Lain continued reluctantly.

'That's new.' Rusty murmured, moving his hands away from her lap. 'Athrun betraying his father, interesting. Any new mechanics?'

'Why do you care so much?' Lain countered. 'To them, you're KIA, you should have seen your file on their database.'

'It should be nice.' Rusty joked. 'I am, after all, an elite.'

'An elite who got shot in the face.' Lain sneered.

'Is anyone else MIA?' Rusty asked.

'Besides you?' Lain ran her hand through her hair. 'Nicol Amarfi, Dearka Elthman and Miguel Ayman. Amarfi and Ayman are definitely dead. I don't know about Dearka Elthman though.'

'Right.' Rusty slide further in his seat.

'They were on your team?' Lain asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

Rusty nodded and put his hands behind his head. 'Yeah, Nicol, Dearka, Athrun and Yzak. We were suppose to raid the five G suits on Heliopolis, but you know I got shot down, so.' He laughed. 'I have been wondering if they'd killed each other yet, Yzak had always been hostile towards Athrun. I can't believe Miguel died though.'

'He was killed by Strike, the Mobile Suits you were suppose to capture.' Lain said, looking out.

'Right.' Rusty responded softly, lowering his head. This was war, he shouldn't be surprised at some of them being dead. It was likely to happen, he was already a good example. He just happened to survive, unlikely survived. 'Why did you save me?'

He met silence, unlike the cynical retorts he usually received. 'You had something to do with the raid, right?'

'Not exactly, not directly at least.' Lain replied reluctantly.

'You're a trafficker of intelligence and firearms?' Rusty suggested, lowering his eyebrows.

'The less you know, the better.' Was all Lain said. 'You wouldn't want to be involved with me.'

'I already am.' Rusty said under his breath.

Pretending that she couldn't hear what he said, she kept silent and they sat in the park until the sun set. It was well past one hour and still they didn't budge until Rusty's ears heard some unpleasant footsteps. Standing up, he took Lain's hand, frowning at the coldness.

'What?' Lain looked up at him, blinking in awe as if she had just woke up.

'Let's go, I thought you said you couldn't stay out more than half an hour, it's already seven.' Rusty replied, pulling her up.

'How did you know?' Lain asked incredulously as he pulled her down the path they just came from.

'I heard the clock of the park chime.' Rusty said.

'You can survive without your eyes.' Lain muttered.' I don't know why I bothered.'

'Gee, sorry I was a waste of time and money.' Rusty retorted. Realizing that he was the one leading her down the path, she shook her head and stopped him. 'What?'

'I want to buy something from the convenient store.' Lain said, walking past the building entrance.

'You buy stuff?' Rusty raised his eyebrows, letting Lain pull him forward. 'I thought you had things delivered to you.'

'Okay, what do you know about me? I don't want to feel like I'm stalked or something.' Lain snapped, stepping into the bright convenient store.

'I'm bored.' Rusty protested. 'I have nothing to entertain myself except for your footsteps, typing sounds and guns being fixed.'

'You can get what I type by just listening?' Lain raised her eyebrows. 'You're crazy.'

'Likewise.' Rusty smirked. 'What are you buying?'

'Distilled water.' Lain replied, opening the huge fridge.

'What?' Rusty's shoulders fell. 'I've been drinking nothing but water for the past six months, can you_ be_ more boring?'

'What do you suggest? Beer?' Lain countered, slamming the fridge door shut.

'I wouldn't mind.' Rusty shrugged. 'But then again, the Doc said I can't have alcohol.'

Sighing, Lain opened the fridge again. 'Orange juice? Apple juice? Soda?'

'Soda.' Rusty said promptly.

Rolling her eyes, Lain took out a few cans and closed the door. After paying, she let Rusty hold the bag and pulled him down the street again.

'We really look like a couple.' Rusty commented, feeling Lain's grip tighten.

'Yeah, a retarded couple.' Lain reminded, squeezing his arm.

Stepping into the apartment again, Rusty sighed and took off his shades. 'I'll miss the streets, you sure you don't want to do that again?'

'I'm sure.' Lain replied firmly. Smirking, Rusty dumped the bag of content onto the kitchen table and headed for his room, taking his jacket off on the way. Lain looked at his back. 'You really do know your way around this place.'

'Six months, darling.' Rusty called, closing the door behind him. 'Don't make me repeat myself.'

Shaking her head, Lain hauled the huge bottle of distilled water and stuck it into the fridge. Looking down at the four cans of soda, she put three into the fridge and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. Sticking the can of soda into the glass, she walked down the hallway and knocked on Rusty's door.

'Yeah.' Came Rusty's muffled voice.

'You're soda, I didn't know if you liked it from the can or the glass, so I brought both.' Lain said, putting it down on the nightstand. 'Make sure you let Nargent know what you drank, he's very fussy about his patience's diets. Enjoy.' She didn't know why, but her instincts told her to get her ass out as soon as possible and she planned on doing so.

'Wait.' Rusty made a move, wanting to stand up. Seeing this, Lain grabbed a neatly folded towel on the shelf and threw it at him.

'You're going to catch a cold.' Lain said flatly.

'Get out, it's hot in here.' Rusty said. He had taken off his shirt and was only wearing his white slacks.

'Suit yourself.' With that, Lain turned on her heal but stopped when Rusty grabbed her wrist. Turning, she looked down at him with a glare. 'What?'

'I want to know what you look like.' Rusty said, catching Lain by surprise.

'What do you mean?' Lain raised her eyebrows.

'Sit.' Rusty said briefly, letting go of her wrist.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Lain hesitated. She promised herself to have no strings attached with this man and she had the feeling she wasn't doing a very good job. He wanted to know what she looked like? This was definitely a warning.

'Look, I got a lot of work to do and – '

Frowning, Rusty pulled her down by the arm hard and she found her bottom hit the soft mattress hard. Wincing at the impact, she looked at Rusty. 'This is not a good idea.'

'Why, because you look hideous?' Rusty asked in a serious voice.

'I don't know if I look hideous, but I do know that you're getting yourself into trouble.' Lain frowned. 'The less you know – '

'The better.' Rusty finished for her, reaching out one hand. 'I just want to know what my saver looks like so I can thank her in the future.'

'I don't need you to thank me, just – '

'Shh…' Rusty placed his thumb on her lips briefly and touched her cheek. Using both hands, he touched her face, from her forehead to her eyes and nose. Lain held her breath, feeling Rusty's abnormally soft fingers trace her skin. Smiling, Rusty traced her jaw line. 'You have good skin.'

'Thank you.' Lain muttered sarcastically, feeling the heat rise. 'Are you done?'

'I told you it would get hot.' Smirking, Rusty leaned his ear into Lain's chest, much to her surprise. He could hear the pounding of her heart. Pulling his head away, he touched her face again, feeling it burn. 'I take it back.'

'Huh?' Lain was dumbfounded, staring at him with wide eyes. During her seventeen years of life, she had not been this shocked. Who did he think he was?

'You have nice breasts.' Rusty replied. Feeling her body hit boiling point, he smirked and grabbed her collar, pulling her towards him. Their lips met in a rough kiss by the force and Rusty had no intention of letting her go. Struggling in his arms, she tried to push him away but couldn't and instead fell onto the bed with Rusty on top of her.

'You're going to regret this.' Lain whispered as Rusty pulled away.

'We'll see.' Rusty said. Leaning directly on top of her, he placed his head right beside her left ear, feeling the heave of her chest against his. 'My name's Rusty MacKenzie.'

Turning her head, she looked at him, their faces inches away. Leaning her forehead onto his, she felt their breaths mix. 'Rusty MacKenzie.' She repeated, realizing that she had called his name for the first time. 'My name's Lain van Ness.'

'Lain.' Rusty smirked, his warm palm sliding up her shirt, lifting it on the way. 'Nice to meet you.'

**  
End of Chapter 3  
****Next Update: 20th August, 2005  
**


	5. Chapter 4

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 4**

She could tell when he was having a bad dream, he'd roll onto her, gripping one of her arms, squeezing it and waking her in the process. They were dreams of people dying, people killed by him, the dead souls of Heliopolis. On the first night they had sex, he had held on to her so tightly she could barely breathed. She understood that fear, the fear of killing and the fear of darkness.

'It's okay.' Lain whispered, soothing the creases on his forehead. It was four in the morning and they just had sex a few hours ago. Sitting against the headboard, Rusty's head was leaned against her shoulder and she had one hand holding the side of his head, her fingers dug into his red spiky hair. Their bare limbs were basically entwined and the thin sheets were on the verge of sliding down the side of the bed.

It was hard to know whether or not Rusty was awake because he still had the gauze wrapped around his eyes. Whenever nightmares came, she would feel his heart beat accelerate and she'd coax him to sleep again, whispering against his ear. He'd calm down eventually but she never knew if he was awake or not.

He was vulnerable and lost.

'Lain.' Rusty's coarse voice rang beside her ear.

'Hmm?'

'You're freezing.' Rusty said, rubbing the side of her arms, trying to smooth the goosebumps.

'I'm okay, go to sleep.' Lain said in a low voice, looking up at the ceiling.

'Lie down.' Rusty ordered, sitting up. Complying, Lain let his arm wrap around her shoulder and pull her towards him. Blinking, she buried her face into his neck and felt him pull the sheets up, covering them to the chest. Closing her eyes, she felt his pulse.

He was gentle,_ too_ gentle. Maybe he was a cynical jerk that always found ways to piss her off, but he was gentle during their nights together. It was a gentleness that had the ability to melt her. For the past five months, she had never felt so vulnerable and in need of protection.

His touch was soft and his kisses were warm. He'd give her warmth she had never experienced before and she never wanted to let go. This was a bad idea, a very bad notion because she knew this would never happen. It wasn't just bad, it was also scary.

No strings attached, she promised herself.

'What are you thinking about?' Rusty asked, his chest vibrating from his voice.

Lain frowned. 'Nothing.'

'The Doc's coming tomorrow right?' Rusty asked.

Lain nodded. 'He said your gauze will be removed tomorrow and fingers crossed, you'll be able to see again.'

'Right.' Rusty said simply, leaning onto his side slightly.

At six o'clock, Lain opened her eyes automatically and found that Rusty was still in deep sleep, his arms wrapped around her. Brushing some of his spiky hair out of his face, she gently removed his arms from her and got up from the bed. Shivering at the morning breeze, she grabbed Rusty's shirt from the chair and draped it across her bare shoulders. Turning, she gazed at Rusty's peaceful figure and bit her lips.

She wanted to see his eyes. He was already gorgeous, every girl's dream. However perfect he was, there was still something missing, instinct told her that his eyes were his best feature.

Shaking her head, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her quietly. The sun was starting to come out and the hallway was bathed in dim light. Pushing the door open, she walked into her room and threw herself onto her own bed. Wrapping the shirt around her tightly, she inhaled Rusty's scent.

She promised herself no strings attached and for the zillionth time, she kicked herself for letting everything happen. The both of them were walking on thin ice, if something happened, everything will fall apart and Rusty might even lose his life.

They lived together for almost a year and slept together for five months. During this time, they did everything a couple did. She'd be the biggest idiot in the world if she denied the fact that she didn't care about him. She cared about him too much and the thought of him getting hurt pained her. She was getting too attached and with her background, it would only generate trouble for him.

He'd see again tomorrow and she had to end everything. She couldn't and wouldn't let Rusty get involved, it was too dangerous, for him_ and_ for her.

Sitting up, she brushed her long black locks back and turned, staring at a pistol hung on the rack. Standing up with weak knees, she padded across the cold wooden floor barefoot and took it down. Fingering the barrel, she frowned and held it up, pointing it at herself in the mirror before her. She had found this pistol in his suit the day she dragged him back to her apartment. She still had his spacesuit stashed away in her wardrobe.

Glaring at her reflection, Lain pulled the trigger. Although nothing happened, she could hear the sound of the gunshot ring in her mind.

Lowering the pistol, she tossed it on her bed. Leaving the room, she walked down the hallway and opened the second wooden door to the right. It led to a small room that had a separator, a barcalounger and a small desk. If it were someone normal, they'd think that this was an ordinary den. Removing the separator, Lain pushed away the curtains, revealing an iron door. Punching in the code, she placed her hand on the identification scanner and said her name. Hearing the familiar click, she pushed the heavy door open and walked into the chamber. The lights turned on automatically along with a string of computers lined up on the desk.

Shivering, she suddenly remembered that she was in nothing but Rusty thin shirt. Shrugging, she buttoned it up and plopped herself on the chair. Breaking a few codes, she established a connection and waited. Picking up the sniper rifle she had been working on last night, she looked into the sights, frowning at the adjustments.

Once the connection was established, Jevo's face appeared in the screen.

'Miss Lain.' Jevo greeted.

Lain paused for a second before pointing the rifle at him, much to Jevo's surprise.

'Morning Jevo.' Lain said, looking up from the sights. 'Nice boy isn't it?'

'Seems to be, you know I'm not that of a pro when it comes to rifles.' Jevo said weakly.

'If you were, then Nesser wouldn't need me.' Lain said flatly. Placing the rifle aside, she leaned back and looked at her sidekick. 'What time?'

'Twenty-three hours.' Jevo said.

Lain smiled. 'Great.' She paused and stared at Jevo in the eye, noting his fidgeting form. 'Are you okay Jevo?'

'Me? I'm great Miss.' Jevo replied.

Lain leaned forward. 'How long have you followed me?'

'I don't know, two years?' Jevo shrugged.

'You're very loyal, for an agent of Nessar.' Lain said, lowering her eyebrows slightly.

'Thank you.' Jevo murmured.

'I'll see you then.' Lain said curtly then without another word, she cut the connection. Reaching for the remote, she pointed it behind her. The iron shelf that displayed a series of pistols and revolvers moved aside, revealing a huge portrait.

Standing up, she leaned against the edge of the desk and picked up a TRC-555 pistol, loading it. Reaching behind her, she located a silencer and put it on the muzzle of the barrel. Raising the pistol, she pointed it at the portrait and fired without hesitation, burning a hole into the man's forehead as if it were an everyday routine, like eating breakfast.

'I'm going to make you pay.' She whispered, lowering her pistol, narrowing her amber orbs. 'You're going be in pain, a pain worse than death, Herze van Ness.'

* * *

Rusty's ears perked up at the door clicking open. Frowning, he uncrossed his arms and sat up straight.

'Doc?'

Nargent shook his head and sat down on the stool beside the bed. 'You'll live without your eyes, really.'

'What time is it?' Rusty asked, turning his head slightly.

'Eight in the morning.' Nargent said, opening his bag. 'You excited?'

'Excited about what?' Rusty asked blankly.

Nargent rolled his eyes. 'Don't tell me you like being blind. Today's the day you get your eyes back you idiot.'

'Today?' Rusty repeated, the nodded. 'Oh yes, Lain mentioned it to me yesterday.'

'Come on, let's see how it looks.' Nargent stood up.

Rusty crossed his arms again while Nargent started unwrapping his gauze. His mind wondered off, thinking about Lain. She had left the bed yesterday morning before he woke up, something that had never happened during the last five months. When he woke up, he had walked around the whole apartment but couldn't find her. Confused, he had sat back on his bed and waited until now, not realizing that he hadn't slept for the whole night.

'Where's Lain?' Rusty asked curtly while Narget dabbed something on his eyelids with cotton balls.

'For you a patient, shouldn't you be asking about your eyes?' Nargent asked absently.

'Where is she?' Rusty demanded, grabbing him by the collar.

Nargent winced at his strength. 'Jeez, let go!' He coughed when Rusty let go. 'I have no idea. She gave me her keys yesterday, saying that she wouldn't be around when I came and told me to help myself.'

'Yesterday?' Rusty frowned. 'Where did she go?'

'How in the world would I know?' Nargent cried. 'She's a big girl, don't worry.'

_As if I could. _Rusty thought. He had an initial gut feeling that something was wrong, really wrong. She wasn't going to just leave him here right?

'Okay, open up.' Nargent said.

'What?' Rusty asked blankly.

'For the love of God open your eyes!' Nargent cried, throwing his hands up. 'I don't know why I bother at all.'

His eyebrows furrowing, Rusty opened his eyes slowly, wincing at the stingy feeling. His vision a bit dazed, he waited until they focused and found himself staring at pair of dull brown eyes.

'You're one old piece of shit.' Rusty said, smirking.

'Get stuffed.' Nargent said coarsely, shoving him. At that, Rusty held his head, feeling a bit dizzy. 'It's going to be like that for a while, you have to get use to it.'

Standing up, Rusty looked around, surveying the room he had stayed in for the past year.

'I know your not going to say thank you so you're welcome.' Nargent said flatly, taking off his plastic gloves.

Rusty eyes stopped at the green shoulder bag lying beside the night table. 'What's that?'

Nargent shrugged. 'I don't know, your old stuff?'

Kneeling down, Rusty opened the bag and found his spacesuit inside it. Frowning, he took it out, a pistol falling out as well. Picking it up, he stared down at it.

'You okay there?' Nargent asked.

'Yeah.' Rusty murmured, fingering the pistol. The message was obvious, she wanted him to leave.

Reaching into the bag, he wasn't surprised to find his dog tag. Taking it out, he put it on. Standing up again, he pulled open the drapes and stared out the window.

Nargent shook his head. 'I don't know why Lain bothers at all.'

Rusty narrowed his eyes at the scenery before him. The apartment looked over the park he and Lain had first strolled in five months ago. He could clearly see the clock tower reading eight thirty two.

'The least you could do is say thank you…' Nargent continued. 'I mean…'

Rusty's ears perked at some footsteps. Looking up, his eyes widened at something shining in the sunlight. The next second, he found himself kneeling down, the glass window shattering. Grabbing the gun in the bag, he quickly loaded it.

'What the hell happened?' Nargent yelled, throwing himself on the floor at another shot.

'Shit.' Rusty cursed. The target was obviously him. He hated when he was under the scope.

Rushing forward, Rusty grabbed Nargent by the collar and burst the door open. He stopped at a gun pointed at his forehead. Staring down the barrel, Rusty let go of Nargent.

'Thank you Nargent, your job is done here.' Novita van Ness smiled. Nodding, Nargent slipped behind her, shaking.

'Now get out.' One of her sidekicks said.

Gripping his pistol, Rusty glared at the woman before him. 'Who the hell are?'

'Novita van Ness.' Novita said promptly. 'Daughter of Herze van Ness. And who the hell are you?'

Rusty glared at her for a while, tightening his grip on his gun. 'I don't know.'

Novita raised her eyebrows slightly then smiled and pulled the trigger. Rusty started at her, unfazed. He knew the gun wasn't loaded.

'You do have the guts.' Novita murmured, lowering her gun. Taking a step forward, she reached out one hand and touched his dog tag. Her lips curving into a sly smile, she fingered the two pieces of metal. 'Rusty MacKenzie, code 053342, Team Klueze.' She looked up and stared into Rusty's light blue eyes. 'You're a ZAFT soldier. A red elite?'

Rusty frowned and gave the chain a rough pull, the two pieces of metal slipping from Novita's fingers. 'I take that you knew the trivial before this little meeting.' He said sarcastically.

Novita stared at him briefly before grabbing his collar. Narrowing his eyes, Rusty felt himself pulled forward and watched Novita crush her lips onto his in a rough kiss. Closing his eyes, he pushed her away and took a step backwards, watching as Novita looked at him like a prey.

'You really _are_ a slut.' Rusty commented, smirking.

Smirking at his comment, Novita licked her lips. 'I get that you know me pretty well.'

Rusty shrugged. 'No, I don't, but I overhear your sister's phone calls.'

Novita snickered. 'No wonder that bitch saved you and kept you inside her apartment for so long.'

Rusty's eyebrows furrowed. 'I knew someone was keeping tabs on her.'

Dropping her smile, Novita reached into her leather jacket and pulled out a loaded pistol. 'I'm sorry, but you're going to have to come with me.'

To her surprise, Rusty just smirked and raised his hands in the air.

'Love to.'

* * *

'Sorry Madge, but strict orders from Mr. Van Ness, there's no way I can let you in.'

Lain jerked her head at the sound outside her locked room. Her eyes furrowed as she sat back in the easy chair.

'I don't care about that asshole's strict orders, I say I'm going in.'

'Don't put me in this shit Madge, you know what will happen if I let you in.'

'Get out of my way.'

'Madge!'

'Don't make me shoot you pal.'

Lain crossed her arms and looked away at the sudden flood of light when the door opened. Closing the door behind her, Madge Peregrane raised her eyebrows at her niece. 'No resentment?'

'Why should I? It's not the first time anyway.' Lain said, looking up at her with a small smile, her features barely visible in the limited moonlight that shone into the large room. 'What brings you here?'

Madge threw herself on the sofa and took out a packet of cigarettes. 'I wanted to see if you're dead yet.'

'Not yet.' Lain reassured sarcastically, watching Madge light one, her face glowing briefly under the fire. She winced at the heavy make-up she had on, her lips and nails a matching blood red.

'Want a drag?' Madge asked, holding out the box.

'No.' Lain said shortly. 'You stink.'

Madge just shrugged at the comment. 'I do.' She breathed out the smoke, sighing in content before tapping the cigarette above the ash tray. 'It's been longer than usual, what did you do this time? I heard Jevo sold you out.'

'I knew that beforehand Madge, I'm not stupid.' Lain muttered. 'It's not the first time anyway, hasn't it always been this long Madge?'

Madge shook her head. 'If memory serves me right, you haven't been guarded over by one of Herze's people, or are they Novita's?'

'Who knows?' Lain muttered, resting her chin on her palm.

'I hear your Father flipping out at what you did, you know how much credit you have. You're like next to being a traitor.' Madge said, taking another drag. 'You keep this on and you'll find yourself in big shit, big fucking shit.'

Lain shrugged. 'Either way, I'm stuck here and I'm not going to waste my time and energy breaking out, even if I can.'

Madge stared at her sister's daughter for a few moments before sighing, grinding the half burnt cigarette into the ash tray. 'God girl, give me some passion! You're like the living dead for the fucking love of God.'

'I like that description, the living dead.' Lain said sarcastically. 'I'm close to being dead and I'm practically invisible.'

'Tell me, what did you do?' Madge said seriously, crossing her legs.

'Why should I tell you?' Lain shot back, looking at Madge straight in the eye with her amber orbs that shone in the moonlight.

'Not even me, not even your aunt?' Madge said softly. 'After all these years?'

'Don't even start with me.' Lain said flatly, standing up. 'You know I don't trust anyone, not you, not Marni, not even my stupid Mother.'

'You leave Lacia out of this! You know she didn't have a choice.' Madge snapped, standing up as well. They stood in the dark, glaring at each other, the tension rising until the door opened. Madge raised one hand over her eyes, trying to block out the light form the torch.

'Mr. Van Ness wants to see you.' The guard said, gripping his shotgun. Another guard tossed her the case she brought with her the day before.

'What's this, a new development?' Madge spat.

'I wouldn't say a new development.' Lain murmured.

Madge shook her head. 'You're putting yourself in trouble Lain, and this time, I have a feeling you're not going to get away with it that easily.'

'When have I ever gotten away easily?' Lain asked, raising her eyebrows as she stepped into the huge hallway.

'Lain.' Madge jumped in front of her. 'I'm telling you, Herze is really pissed off, you may die.'

Lain stared at her aunt before sighing. She gave Madge a pat on the shoulder. 'Relax.'

'Get going!' The guard said roughly, pushing her by the back.

Giving Madge a small nod, she walked down the hallway and disappeared through a door, her hand gripping the long case tightly. As the door closed behind her, she met complete darkness. She heard the guard punch in some codes on the number pad before the lift she was in started to descend. When they hit the bottom, the door of the lift opened and she found herself staring at her Father, Herze Van Ness.

Stepping into the room, she stood there, glaring at her Father through narrowed eyes, standing still in front of the long table, other senior members of Nessar sitting around it.

'Nice to see you again Lain.' Herze's sidekick Colton Daire smiled. A balding man in his forties, he was constantly seen in a neat white suit, in charge of most of the important underground affairs that generated almost sixty percent of Nessar's income.

Lain returned Daire's sly smile. 'It's been a long time Daire, especially since I was locked in that room before.'

'Standard procedures, I'm sure you'll understand Lain.' Daire said.

'Oh I do.' Lain murmured.

'Have you completed it?' Herze Van Ness asked, a cigar between his fingers. 'You know the consequences of being late Lain.'

'Of course I do Father.' Lain said, bowing her head slightly. Hauling the long black case onto the long table, she paused before unlocking the case. Narrowing her eyes, she lifted the newly constructed sniper rifle and set it down on the shiny marble table before taking the case away.

The people at the table looked at each other, obviously curious to what she had developed.

'NSX-550.' Lain said curtly, lifting it up. 'A capacity of ten rounds with a 2000 meter range. Equipped with an electronic scope and a high performance muffler that can tone it down by at least seventy percent.' She ran her hand over the barrel. 'I've enhanced it's stability so the shooter will get a much better accuracy.'

'Who should I give it to?' Herze asked, narrowing his eyes as he leaned forward. For a man in his late forties, Herze Van Ness certainly was a man no one could mess with easily. As creator and ruler of Nessar, he was richer than anyone on PLANT and had a knack for extreme brutality when it came to destroying his enemies and purging betrayers in Nessar. It was dangerous to work for Nessar, but the stakes were also high.

'Anyone you want.' Lain said shortly, putting the sniper rifle down. 'It's none of my business. All I do is _make_ the weapons, who you give my weapons to is your business.'

'Really.' Herze raised his eyebrows and leaned back into his chair. 'You really don't have anyone in mind.'

Lain looked at him in the eye briefly, her hand in a fist. 'No, I don't have anyone in mind nor do I understand why you're asking me this question.'

'You really have no idea what's going on in Nessar, you have no clue to how we _really _use your weapons?' Herze asked suspiciously.

'I don't plan on knowing.' Lain said flatly.

'I've never trusted you Lain, not me, not anyone in this room.' Herze said. 'You know why?'

'I don't want to know why.' Lain answered, lowering her amber eyes. 'Father.'

Grinding his teeth at her words, Herze snapped his fingers in the air.

'Father.' Novita stepped into the dark room from another door at Herze's far left with Vail and Anja behind her, hauling Rusty who had his eyes covered with a black cloth.

'Quasim.' Herze motioned a young man in blue wash jeans and a loose black shirt. Nodding, Quasim Van Ness walked forward.

Lain watched as Quasim raised his fist. Having analyzing the situation and the surroundings through his extremely sensitive ears, Rusty broke off the arms that were holding him in place and dodged. Grabbing Quasim's arm, he flipped him over and pressed him onto the floor.

Everyone in the room gasped while Anja and Vail pulled their pistols out, pointing them at Rusty's head. Kneading Quasim in the back with one knee, Rusty ripped off the black cloth that had covered his eyes ever since the car got off the highway. 'Sorry, bad day for you pal.' He smirked, eyeing Quasim's struggling form.

'Get off me.' Quasim muttered, narrowing his eyes. Shrugging, Rusty he let go.

'I don't think this is a grand welcoming for me.' Rusty said sarcastically, staring up at Herze who puffed smoke out of his mouth.

'What do you have to do with my daughter?' Herze asked in his silky voice, crossing his legs.

'_Your_ daughter?' Rusty raised his eyebrows and stood up, the two guns still pointed at his head. He turned and found himself staring into amber eyes of a girl with long black hair. Breaking off the stare abruptly, he shrugged and crossed his arms at Herze. 'I don't know her.'

'Don't know her…' Herze repeated. Standing up slowly, he suddenly took out the pistol from his great coat and fired, the bullet barely missing Rusty's ear. He smirked as Rusty stared back at him, unfazed while Vail and Anja had jumped back in shock. Impressed, Herze placed the pistol on the table with steady hands.

'Likewise.' Rusty smirked.

'Having the guts to screw my daughter, you're not someone I should look down.' Herze continued, sitting down again. He motioned his head towards the end of the table. 'You know how to use that?'

Strolling down the long room as if he were in the park across Lain's apartment, he picked up the heavy rifle and looked into the scope before examining it briefly, totally ignoring Lain. At that, Novita wanted to both smirk and frown.

Loading it, Rusty stepped back and pointed the barrel at Lain, looking at her through the blurry scope. 'Piece of cake.' He looked up, giving Lain a brief look before turning to Herze. 'Who do you want dead?'

'Karim Persach.' Herze said, crossing his arms.

Rusty nodded, pointing the rifle down. 'Consider it done.'

Herze raised his eyebrows. 'You sure you can do it? He's not an easy guy to close on.'

Lain frowned as she watched Rusty snicker, placing one hand on the shiny table. 'This guy must be tough if you need someone you don't know a single fuck about do the job.' He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head. 'Am I right Mr. Van Ness.'

Lain saw Quasim narrow his eyes at Rusty's words while Novita raised one finger to her lips and licked it.

'You have forty-eight hours.' Herze finally said. Standing up, he left through the door Rusty was hauled in from with Daire and a team of bodyguards following him. The rest of the senior members followed suit. Seeing the last of the crowd leave, Novita looked over her shoulder at her two sidekicks, eyeing them briefly before she walked up to Rusty, her hips swaying slightly.

'You want some help gorgeous?' She asked, placing one hand on his shoulder. 'You know he's a tough guy.'

'Thanks, but no thanks.' Rusty replied, smiling down at her. 'I can handle it.'

'Handle it?' Novita raised her eyebrows and shot Lain a glance before turning. 'Hope you can handle it, but if you don't, you're dead.'

'I'm kind of familiar with the rules Miss Novita, thanks for the warning though.' Rusty smirked.

'Any time.' Novita purred, blowing him a kiss before disappearing through the door with Anja and Vail following her.

'Nothing to say to me?' Rusty asked after a few moments of silence.

Lain turned her back to him.

Rusty shrugged and looked down at the sniper rifle. 'This baby ought to do the job, don't you think?'

Lain pursed her lips, determined to stay quiet. Knowing he wouldn't get her mouth open any time, he decided to not waste time. He did only have forty-eight hours.

Lain felt her knees weaken as she heard the door close shut, darkness engulfing her. Swallowing hard, she gripped her fist tightly, her nails digging into her palm. No strings attached, she promised herself.

No strings attached.

**  
End of Chapter 4  
**_Next update: 21st August, 2005_

**A/N:** The R/M warning is there for a reason, it does offend me when people don't read warnings and complain to me about something that disturbs them. May I remind readers that responsibility is with you. Enjoy, long AN will be postedday afterbecause it will be the last update in two weeks the least.


	6. Chapter 5

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 5**

Exactly forty later, the news that big entrepreneur Karim Persach was shot during one of his hotel openings came blaring over every channel of media. Madge couldn't help but stare at the wide-screen TV before her, her cigarette dangling from her fingers while her son Marni kept yelling 'that's impossible!'

'How the hell did he do it Lain?' Marni demanded, jumping onto the sofa beside Lain who had her eyes on the pistol she was polishing. 'Come on, you've got to know something about the guy!'

'This – I mean – ' Madge stared at Lain in shock. 'Where in the fucking hell did this guy come from? He shot down Karim Persach! Karim Persach! We've been trying to shoot his balls down for three years! Not even Quasim could do the job for God's sake and this pinhead does it in twenty four_ hours_?'

'Who is he Lain? Huh? Who is he?' Marni asked. 'Ma! Make her talk!'

'Who is this guy?' Madge asked, grinding her cigarette into the ashtray beside her. 'You've got to know something about him Lain, don't make a fool out of me.'

'I don't know.' Lain said coldly, running her hand over the barrel of the pistol.

'You don't know him? Rumor says _you're_ the one who brought him here.' Madge argued.

'It wasn't me.' Lain said flatly, eyeing her aunt briefly. 'Novita brought her here.'

Madge rolled her eyes. 'No, I mean, rumor says that bitch found this MacKenzie guy in your apartment. How do you explain _that?_'

'It's just a rumor.' Lain replied after a few moments of silence. Standing up, she walked towards the kitchen counter of the suite and poured herself a glass of water. 'No big deal.'

'No big deal? No big deal?' Marni screeched, jumping up. 'I'm going to make him my sniper trainer.'

'You're only fourteen Marni.' Lain said sternly, turning around while leaning her back against the counter. 'Guns are not for people like you to play with.

'You're not that old either Lain, you're only seventeen.' Madge said dryly.

Lain eyed him silently.

'I'm old enough!' Marni protested. 'And even if I weren't, after training from him? I'll be a pro in no time. Who cares about age?'

'That is if he can step out of here alive.' Madge muttered, propping her legs over armrest of the sofa she was sitting on.

'What do you mean Ma?' Marni asked, turning around sharply.

Madge gave her son a brief look before staring up at the bright ceiling above her, running one finger over her eyebrow. 'You think I need to shape my eyebrows again Lain? The last bitch who did the waxing almost made my eyebrows lopsided.'

'You shape your eyebrows like every month, aren't you tired of the pain?' Lain murmured, crossing her legs at her ankle. 'I don't do it.'

'That's because you're a natural beauty.' Madge scowled, throwing a glare at Lain. 'Just like your Mother.'

'I'm nothing like my Mother.' Lain scowled curtly, narrowing her amber eyes. 'Don't even compare me with her.'

'Sorry, my fault.' Madge muttered, raising both her hands. 'Hey kid, don't you need to do some physical training?'

'I want to meet this sniper!' Marni protested. 'He'd be coming back any time!'

'Get out before I kick your ass!' Madge screeched, pointing her cigarette at her son.

'Fine.' Marni stuck his middle finger up at his Mother, scrambling out of the room before Madge could even sit up, let alone tell off that disgusting attitude of his son's.

Shaking her head, Lain dropped the glass into the sink and walked back to the sofa.

'Seriously Lain, who is this guy?' Madge asked, sitting up.

'You won't want to know Madge.' Lain said shortly, leaning back against the sofa with her arms crossed. 'Trust me on that.'

'Well I'm telling you, people around here are_ dying_ to know.' Madge winked, standing up. She poured herself a glass of whiskey at the bar counter. 'What's with the secrecy anyway?'

Lain shrugged, loading the gun. Raising it, she pointed at the door just in time for it to slide open. The man standing there jerked in shock and reached for his shotgun.

'Don't scare the boys like that honey.' Madge smirked, crossing her legs on the stool.

'It's not a real gun.' Lain said flatly, lowering it. 'What do you want?'

'Mr. Herze wants to see you.' The man said. 'Immediately.'

'Tell him I'll be there.' Lain responded, tossing the pistol onto the couch.

'What does he want now? The guy's done the job.' Madge muttered, taking a sip.

'You think he'll let him go like that?' Lain asked in a sarcastic tone. 'He's a cunning old man who has made Nessar what it is now, you really think he doesn't have a plan.'

Madge nodded. 'I bet this plan involves your little sister.'

'That's an understanding.' Lain murmured. Grabbing her white coat from the hanger, she shrugged it on.

'You're not that cold are you?' Madge raised her eyebrows.

Lain looked over her shoulder and smirked. 'You've never been in that God damn room.'

Madge narrowed her eyes with a sly smile. 'Right… have fun kid, I'll catch up with you later?'

Escorted by two other Nessar members, Lain was taken down to the main conference room of Nessar's base located at the hillside of Aprillius One. Ordinary people passing by would think that it was just another ordinary mansion isolated in the artificial greenfields, what they don't know is the exquisite design of the base that extends eighteen meters down underground, equipped with the best facilities and top notch security system. Home to the founder of Nessar and family, this secret base has always been well protected and supplied illegally.

When Lain stepped into the conference room for the second time in three days, she wasn't surprised to find every one there, including Novita who was now sitting beside their Father with a sly smile on her face, flamboyantly dressed as ever. In Lain's opinion, she was a true slut.

'Have a seat Lain.' Herze invited, motioning towards the chair at the far end.

Having no choice, she nodded and sat down. She exchanged glances with Quasim who was sitting across from her before she crossed her arms.

'Bring him in.' Herze ordered through the intercom.

At that, Rusty stepped in escorted by two guards. He was wearing the same clothes he had on two days ago with NSX-551 in one hand. Stepping forward, he set the sniper rifle on the table carefully, giving the scope a playful wipe with two fingers before taking a step back. The job was done in a clean and tidy manner with more than just a hint of relaxation.

'What did you think of the rifle?' Herze asked.

'Tuned to perfection.' Rusty smirked crossing his arms. 'The best I've ever used yet.'

'Because of your skill, this weapon has been pushed to the limit.' Herze smiled. 'You're a rare talent Rusty MacKenzie.'

Rusty bowed, looking at him through his spiky bangs, his light blue eyes darkening. 'I accept that compliment, but I don't think I'm here to just accept this compliment Mr. Herze.'

'I can make something big out of you MacKenzie.' Herze said directly. 'With your skill and attitude, you're going to be of great help to Nessar and I'll guarantee you with more than just a luxurious life. Be a part of Nessar, you won't regret it.'

'And if I refuse?' Rusty raised his eyebrows.

'You'll find yourself unable to leave this building alive.' Herze said shortly, narrowing his eyes.

'You're not really giving me much choice Mr. Van Ness.' Rusty turned his head slightly, closing one eye. 'I'm in need of more than just a luxurious life you know. Besides, I have a background, you sure you can trust me with this?'

Curious to what background he had, the people started a small commotion.

'He used to be a ZAFT soldier.' Novita said loudly. 'An elite.'

'With that said.' Rusty winked at Novita. 'You really think you can trust me? Can you make the other's here trust you. Do you really want to risk Nessar's stability to someone you barely know?' he looked around with a sly smile. 'Nessar isn't ZAFT's best friend you know.'

'What do you propose then?' Herze asked.

'Hey, I'm all heads up about this proposal of yours, I can't go back to being a normal person anyway, let alone rejoin ZAFT. Being here really is no difference to me.' Rusty leaned forward with both hands on the table. 'It's really about you Mr. Ness, it's really your call and your call alone.'

'You really think you trust someone who just walked in Herze?' Giles Van Ness, Herze's younger brother asked, eyeing Rusty.

'But we're in lack of talents like him.' Dires said, bowing his head slightly. 'If only there was a way…' he eyed Novita, who smirked back and him.

Lain frowned as she watched Novita stand up slowly, leaning one hip against the side of the table. 'I've got an idea Dad.'

'Give it to me.' Herze smiled. 'You know I love your ideas.'

'If you want him bounded to Nessar, just find someone to bound him for you.' Novita said, smriking.

Quasim leaned forward, looking up at his sister with furrowed eyebrows. 'You mean…'

'Just marry him to someone here.' Novita eyed the people around the table until she set her sights on Lain who had her eyes closed. 'Someone who has the power and position to control him.'

'You mean _you _Novita.' Quasim scowled, throwing a glare at Rusty who shrugged.

Herze looked at his daughter with narrowed eyes. 'You really think this is a good idea.' He looked at Rusty.

'Don't look at me, it's your call. Either way, I'm not going to leave this place, it's a matter of whether I'll be alive or dead.' Rusty snarled. 'Frankly, I'd prefer the living over the dead.' He narrowed his eyes slightly to match that sly smirk of his. 'Or maybe the living dead?'

'It is a feasible plan.' Giles nodded, sneering. 'And believe me, this guy's got to have something to make our very own Miss Novita Van Ness horny for him.'

'Thank you.' Novita sneered, shooting a glare at her young uncle.

'If that's the case…' Herze rested his cheek on his palm.

'That will not be the case.' Lain suddenly said, opening her eyes slightly.

Novita raised her eyebrows at her sister. 'You think you have a say on what I want? You do know who you are here right Lain?'

Rusty frowned and watched as Lain stood up, looking at Novita with eyes as cold as frost. 'I'm saying no.'

'You're say no.' Novita crossed her arms. 'What makes you think you can do that. Rusty MacKenzie will be mine whether you like it or not.'

Reaching into her white jacket, Lain pulled out a silver pistol and pointed it at Novita. Before anyone could react, she pulled the trigger, a shot ringing in the room. A wave a gasps and screams were followed by a group of guards rushing in, pointing their shotguns at Lain.

Novita stood there shocked, blood seeping down the side of her ear, a bullet hole in the wall behind her. Smoke came out from the barrel.

'Are you crazy Lain!' Herze bawled, standing up.

'I saved him and he's mine.' Lain said in a low but firm voice. 'You can kill me right now but if you do, you're not going to get the intelligence you wanted so badly.'

'Bitch.' Novita seethed. 'You think you're going to get your way like this? In your fucking dreams!'

'I think I will get what I want, don't you think?' Lain looked at Herze sideways. 'Father.'

'Lower your guns.' Herze commanded. 'What do you want? He's going to be in Nessar whether you like it or not or he's dead.'

Gun still trained on Novita's head, Lain tightened her grip. 'You just want someone to make sure he's on the right tracks, Nessar's tracks. I'll marry him.'

'You?' Dires raised his eyebrows suspiciously. 'You're credibility is a serious case of doubt Miss Lain.'

'It's either that or nothing.' Lain scowled, turning her pistol to Rusty. 'Or I'll kill him right now.'

After a long period of tense silence, Herze finally nodded and sat back down. 'Fine, but you know what the cost is Lain.'

'Of course I do.' Lain said quietly, lowering her pistol. 'You know I always do.'

* * *

Dropping her cigarette butt onto the ground, Madge grinded it with her heels, giving it an extra stomp before stepping forward. Having extremely sensitive ears, Rusty turned his head slightly, the wind blowing his spiky red hair into his face.

'Who the hell are you?' Rusty asked, watching Madge lean her back against the railing of the mansion's bare roof.

'And who the hell are you?' Madge shot back, her eyebrows furrowing.

Rusty raised his eyebrows at her. 'You know who I am so back off.'

'I've been wondering what kind of guy would make my little niece interested.' Madge purred, leaning her cheek into her palm. 'I have to say you are a treat Rusty MacKenzie.'

'I'll take that as a compliment.' Rusty muttered, looking out at the green scenery before him.

'The name's Madge.'

'I know.' Rusty said. 'I've heard your name when I was still living with your niece.'

'You lived with my niece.' Madge frowned.

'What? She didn't tell you anything?' Rusty snarled, glaring at her. 'Not a surprise, she didn't even bother to acknowledge_ me_ during those fucking meetings.'

Madge lowered her eyes like a panther. 'So someone's being Mr. Cranky pants.'

Rusty stayed silent at the comment.

'I'm curious.' Madge continued. 'Why would the two of you cross paths. I mean, you're a ZAFT soldier while she's… well she's practically a nobody who works for Nessar.'

'Weird huh?' Rusty said sarcastically, turning around. 'Let's just say it's pure coincidence that that little niece of yours saved my ass during one of my first major operation and made me stay in her god damned apartment for ten months straight. Being blind is _not_ a pleasant experience and all I'm grateful about is being able to fuck her.'

Madge couldn't help but frown again. 'You slept with her?'

'Oh yeah.' Rusty sneered, casting a sly look at her. 'Best sex I've ever had, I've been wondering if that's why she almost shot Novita's friggin' ass off.'

Madge looked away. 'She's more than you think MacKenzie.'

'I'm sure.' Rusty jeered.

'No, seriously.' Madge snapped. 'If you can't give her what you want, then leave. I'm sure you have the ability to get the hell out of here alive _and_ in one piece.'

Rusty stared at her for a few moments before looking down. 'If I could give her what she wanted, then I wouldn't be this pissed off.' He sighed and ran one hand through his unruly hair. 'I'm not stupid, I know what I'll be going through if I join Nessar, what they'll _want_ me to do, how they're going to exploit me. I know how they exploit each and every one of you, including you, including Lain.'

Madge couldn't help but feel impressed by Rusty's strong observation. It was true, Herze van Ness never made a losing bet. The stakes may be high but he wouldn't make a transaction that wasn't absolutely lucrative to him. Everyone in Nessar was manipulated by him, exploited by him to his and Nessar's own interest, even his son and two daughters, not to mention his own brothers.

Madge exhaled loudly and took out another cigarette, lighting. Taking a slow drag, she rubbed her forehead. 'She's got a rough life and she's not going to trust anyone. You're not going to change that MacKenzie, trust me. All these years, she's done nothing but receive orders from her Father and it has been a torture, a slow and painful torture. At this day an age, it's hard for kids to live a normal life, even for you.' She eyed Rusty. 'You're no older than twenty.'

'Going on eighteen.' Rusty muttered. 'Never had a normal life and never _will_ have. No one marries at seventeen.'

'You're right, and there's got to be something Novita's crazy about to make her suggest such an absurd idea.' Madge muttered.

'How the hell would I know, I've met her for barely forty eight hours.' Rusty protested. 'What she's like is beyond me.'

'Are you saying you know Lain more.' Madge asked smugly.

'Hey, I'm not someone you can judge by normal standards.' Rusty snapped. 'I've lived with her for almost a year, you really think I'd sit around without knowing who the friggin' hell's around me? Although the worst, I was still an elite. Besides, there's really nothing to do when you're blind.'

Tapping her cigarette over the railing, Madge smirked. 'I like you.'

Rusty rolled his eyes. 'Please, one woman at a time.'

Madge gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. 'Not like that!'

'Oh, you got me worried back there.' Rusty said sarcastically, casting a glare at her.

'I see you have yoru reasons and I'm not going to stop you from marry Lain because she obviously doesn't think it's a bad idea.' Madge rolled her eyes.

'Really?' Rusty pursed his lips.

'Well…' Madge shrugged. 'At least she's not going berserk about it.'

'Berserk? Her? Lain Van Ness?' Rusty snorted. 'I'd give you a thousand dollars if you can get her berserk.'

'You _do _know her.' Madge sneered, flicking her cigarette out into the air.

'That's called littering.' Rusty said flatly.

'Yeah yeah, whatever.' Madge looked at him sideways. 'Do you know what Lain wants Rusty?'

Rusty just looked back at her with meaningfully.

Sighing, she stood straight. 'You're not stupid, I know that. Just promise to watch over her. She's not brash yet she has the tendency to hurt herself without thinking through things clearly. Just, try to protect her, okay?'

Rusty looked away. 'I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything.'

Nodding with a smile, Madge turned and headed towards the door, her heels clicking against the ground. 'By the way.' She looked over her shoulders, holding the door open. 'Quasim and I will be your witnesses, you got a ring?'

Rusty widened his eyes at the word 'ring'. At that, Madge shrugged. 'You better think of a good way.'

'Damn it.' Rusty cursed, slamming his fist into the railing as the heavy iron door shut behind him.

* * *

Lain van Ness had lived her whole life alone, physically and mentally. Her Mother had never really paid attention to her when she was still a kid and her Father hated her. She'd be sent from one place to another, despised by the people around her. They'd say she's the most hated child of Herze van Ness because her Mother was universally hated by the whole of Nessar. It was true, she was a complete whore and the whole world expected Lain to turn into her Mother. The fact that she was the only legitimate child of Herze Van Ness was also a source of trouble.

She swore to never to step into her Mother's footstep. A lone soul from the day she was born, she had planned on being alone for the rest of her life, a life of vengeance yet Rusty MacKenzie's appearance had ruined this perfect plan of hers. His presence had brought life to that dead apartment of hers and she hated it at first. She hated having someone around her, sensing her every move. It scared her even more when she realized that she had gotten _used_ to his presence. His presence was a comfortable one, a safe one, a sense of security she had lost her whole life.

She had promised herself no strings attached because she had a very complicated background. She did not want Rusty involved in her life because she knew this would happen, if Nessar found out about his existence, they would try to exploit him. He had no idea what life was like working for Nessar and she didn't want Rusty to suffer.

She wanted him to leave, wanted him to forget about her. Why? Why did he have to be so stubborn? Hadn't she made her stance clear? She wanted him _out_ of her life. No matter how good it felt being with him, it was _wrong_. During those ten months of co-habitation, a voice behind her head told her that it was wrong, it was completely wrong and she _had_ to end it.

She had ended it, but somehow, he came after her. What did he want from her? Why couldn't he have just left? He had the ability to do so, even if Novita had got in the way. Why?

Crossing her arms, Lain looked out the window, seeing her reflection. Rusty was sitting at the mini bar with a glass of whiskey in his hands. He was barely eighteen yet he was drinking, war did force kids to grow into adults, frustrated adults at the least.

This was not the typical wedding night normal couples spent. After the simple ceremony where Quasim and Madge were witnesses, they had returned to Lain's apartment. It wasn't just a simple ceremony, it was a very lacking ceremony. Even the simplest weddings would require the groom and the bridge to dress neatly if not in a suit and a wedding dress, yet when they arrived the church, Rusty was in a T-shirt he had worn over three days and Lain was in a simple tank top and white jeans.

They didn't even have a ring, which surprised the minister but he was willing to continue the ceremony under the threatening eye of Rusty.

She had made the right decision, marrying him. She really had no other choice. If Novita had gotten her way, Rusty would be in very deep trouble and he may never have the chance to leave this hell. Of course the thought that Novita actually wanted to marry Rusty disturbed Lain to no end. Her sister was the whore and had a pretty impressive sex history at the age of seventeen. She knew that when Novita van Ness had her eyes on something, she'd more or less have her way.

Now what? Everything was turned upside down. She wanted him to step out of her life but he had marched right back in. There was a reason behind all this yet Rusty MacKenzie was a total mystery to her now.

'You want to spend our wedding night like this?' Rusty asked, moving his glass on the marble counter.

Narrowing her amber orbs, Lain looked at Rusty in the window's reflection. He had beautiful eyes, just as she imagined, clear and sharp, eyes that belonged to a young soldier.

'Why didn't you leave?' Lain asked, turning around. 'You had a chance and you didn't. I thought I made my point clear enough that day.'

'You mean the day I had my eyes back and saw my stuff lying on the floor beside my bed?' Rusty asked nonchalantly, picking up his glass. 'Including my gun?'

Lain just looked at him.

'You know, I wasn't happy with the tuning.' Rusty continued, looking into his glass.

'Why?'

'Then let me ask you this.' Rusty turned in his stool with his long legs crossed. 'Why did you save me? If you hadn't then I would've died on Heliopolis and you wouldn't be stuck with a situation like this.' He snorted at Lain's stubborn silence. 'Aren't you always the quiet one, never wanting people to know what you think, never wanting to crawl out of that hard shell of yours.'

'You have no idea what it's like to work for Nessar.' Lain scowled.

Rusty shrugged. 'Then I'll just have to start off from square one.'

'What were you thinking?' Lain suddenly shouted.

It was Rusty's turn to stare at her angry form.

Lain felt like screaming, never in her life had she been this emotional and it was all for this man… no this_ boy_ before her! What did he want? She already gave him a chance to leave, why did he have to come back and ruin everything?

Tipping the glass of whiskey, Rusty let it fall over the counter. The glass shattered, liquid staining the wooden floor. Looking up, Rusty narrowed his light clear blue eyes at Lain. 'You really don't know do you? Or you know but you don't _want_ to know.'

Lain looked away. 'You don't belong here.'

Seething at the aggravating words, Rusty hopped off the stool. 'If you think I don't belong here, if you think I don't belong with you, then I'll go.'

Lain turned her head sideways, watching Rusty head towards the door.

'You may think I don't belong here,' Rusty paused and shot a glance over his shoulder, 'but I will be a part of Nessar, whether you like it or not.'

Lain felt the anger rise inside. Never in her life had she been this angry, Rusty MacKenzie actually had the ability to make her angry.

Taking deep breaths, Lain walked towards the desk and looked down at their wedding certificate. They were married, with or without a ring, they were married, they had a license. Turning, Lain looked at the shattered glass beside the stool Rusty had sat on a few minutes ago. There was no Rusty MacKenzie anymore, he was dead to the world. He now went by the name Russ Enzia, the trump card and ace sniper of Nessar.

_Why did you let this happen?_ Lain thought to herself, sliding to the floor. _You know this isn't the place for him, why?_ Shaking her head, she pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the door.

She jerked when her cell phone rang in her pocket. Looking down at the number, she didn't know if she wanted to smile or frown.

'Hey.' She answered.

'Hey.'

* * *

'Another shot?' The bartender asked, polishing a glass while bobbing his head along with the strong music that ruled the nightclub.

'Why not?' Rusty pushed his glass towards him.

'What's with you pal?' The bartender asked, refilling Rusty's shot glass.

'Don't they say it's either money or women?' Rusty smirked, taking the shot glass from him.

The bartender shrugged. 'It seems like women then.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Really?'

'Are you new here?' The bartender asked. 'I've never seen you before.'

'Oh, I've been here long enough.' Rusty said, taking a shot. 'I've never been around this area though, never been the type to go clubbing.'

'How old are you kid?' The bartender asked.

Rusty smirked. 'You wouldn't want to know, so don't ask.'

'Hey, give me a beer over here!' someone called two seats from Rusty.

'Right-o.' The bartender shouted, giving the guy a thumbs up. 'Later.'

Smirking to himself, Rusty drained down the rest of his shot glass. Looking around him, he narrowed his eyes at the people dancing to the pounding music, moving their bodies against each other. He couldn't_ believe _this was how he was spending his wedding night.

She really didn't know, didn't want to know why he was doing this to himself. He wasn't stupid. He knew what Nessar was like but he really had no choice. Okay, maybe he had a chance to leave, but he couldn't and wouldn't because of her. And she's pretending she doesn't have a clue.

'Damn her.' Rusty muttered.

'Refill?' The bartender asked, strolling back to him.

'Why not?' Rusty muttered the same response.

'Lighten up dude.' The bartender exclaimed. 'Look around and you'll see plenty of chicks to feed your appetite. Have some hormones for Christ's sake!'

'Who says I'm hungry?' Rusty challenged.

'Well, you may not be hungry, but there's one horny bitch coming over.' The bartender whistled. 'Fine ass, nice tits, hook up with her tonight and you'll find yourself in heaven.'

Looking over his shoulder, Rusty raised his eyebrows at the girl the bartender was talking about.

'Hey gorgeous.' Novita sat herself down on the stool beside him.

Rusty smirked. 'What brings you here?'

'She's a regular dude.' The bartender said. 'How's it going beautiful? A guest of yours?'

'He's my prey.' Novita said, wrapping one slender arm around his neck.

Rusty narrowed his eyes as Novita bit his ear. 'You're married prey.' Novita frowned.

'You're married?' The bartender raised his eyebrows. 'You look no more than twenty.'

'Oh yeah he is.' Novita dug on perfectly manicured hand into Rusty's spikey hair and pushed the side of his head into her chest. 'Today's his wedding night.'

'Oh, don't tell me this is your wife.' The bartender said. 'I mean, it'll be a lost for the community.'

Novita smirked. 'I take that as a compliment.'

'Oh it is a compliment honey.' The bartender returned the smirk, giving her wink.

'So, a regular huh?' Rusty looked up, taking in Novita's scent.

'I never expected to see you here.' Novita murmured, running one finger across his forehead. 'Is my dumb sister giving you a hard time?'

'Oh no, we're having a blast.' Rusty said sarcastically. 'In fact, we had so much fun I had to come out and calm myself down.'

'You're a cute liar Rusty.' Novita laughed.

'My name is no longer Rusty MacKenzie.' Rusty pulled Novita's hand away from his face.

'What _may_ I call you then gorgeous?' Novita asked huskily.

'Russ Enzia.' Pushing her away, Rusty grabbed Novita's wrist and pulled her towards the dance floor.

'I see someone's getting bored with their wedding night.' Novita whispered into Rusty's ears.

'Yeah, so entertain me.' Rusty murmured into Novita's ear, wrapping his arms around her waist. 'Dance with me.'

Surrounded by a sea of people, they moved their bodies against the pounding music, their bodies pressed together. Burying his face into Novita's neck, Rusty let the rubbing of their skin and the strong beats occupy his disturbed mind. He didn't want to know what would come next and he didn't care. If Lain wanted him out of her life then so be it, he wasn't going to give a damn and he was determined to enjoy whatever entertainment he came across. He wasn't going to feel guilty about hooking up with her sister. Novita certainly thought he was treat.

The sexual tension between them started to rise as Novita started to kiss him. Unlike the rough kiss she gave him a few days ago when they first met, this kiss was deep and intense. She wanted to fuck him now.

Breaking the kiss abruptly, it was Novita's turn to lead Rusty off the dance floor.

'Where do you want to go?' Novita asked, jumping into her silver convertible. 'Somewhere close because I'm getting all turned on.'

Rusty shrugged, the bottle of beer he picked up from the counter still in his hands. 'You're call.'

'Your wife's apartment?' Novita suggested, gunning the engine.

Narrowing his eyes, Rusty shot a glance at Novita's sneering face. Boy did she hate Lain, the world's biggest idiot could have figured _that_ out. 'You're call.'

'I'm loving you more and more.' Was Novita's response as she glided out of the nightclub's car park.

Rusty wasn't at all surprised to find the apartment empty when they arrived. Novita proved herself to be one horny woman as she barely waited for him to open the door. Kissing their way to the master bedroom, their clothes were discarded along corridor. Pushing him onto the clean bed that belonged to the apartment's owner, Novita made no delays and stripped what was left from her body. Pulling her down with him, Rusty ran one hand up Novita's leg and made her straddle him.

'I should have married you.' Novita whispered into Rusty's ears as they rocked against each other.

Rusty only responded by grinding himself deeper into Novita's warmth, loosing himself in this mindless sex game. Unfortunately, the more he tried to lose himself, the more he thought about Lain, his wife.

His _wife._

* * *

'It's not like you Lain.'

Eyeing Quasim behind the steam that brew from her hot chocolate, Lain crossed her legs. 'Not like me why?'

Quasim shrugged. 'You know, taking in a guy, marrying him, shooting Novita's ass off.'

'You don't know me Quasim, that's why you think it's not me.' Lain responded, taking a sip from her brew.

'You're right, nobody knows you, not even yourself.'

Lain laughed shortly. 'You're probably right.'

'What are you doing to yourself Lain?' Quasim asked softly. 'You can't blame me for asking this question because it's obvious that something is going on between the two of you.'

'Is this why your buying me coffee?' Lain asked in a low voice.

'Hot chocolate.' Quasim corrected dryly. 'May I also remind you that you're spending your wedding night out with your brother.'

'You're not my brother.' Lain muttered.

'But you're my sister.' Quasim replied promptly.

'We're pathetic, don't you think?' Lain asked sarcastically.

_'You're_ pathetic.' Quasim corrected. 'You're making yourself pathetic by leaving your husband on your wedding night.'

'I didn't leave him, he left me.' Lain said, crossing her arms.

'You made him leave?' It sounded more like a statement than a question.

'Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.' Lain said.

'Why?'

'Why? Because he doesn't belong here.' Lain said curtly.

'And he belongs with Novita?' Quasim raised his eyebrows as Lain widened her eyes. 'You know how that "sister" of ours can get when she sets her eyes on someone. She's been complaining about not having any good men to satisfy her appetite. You practically gift wrapped him and sent him to that horny sister of my mine. Don't forget, Novita wanted to marry Rusty in the first place, you really think she'd let you two live happily ever after?'

'If she wants him, then so be it, I don't care.' Lain muttered.

'Really?' Quasim eyed her.

'Yes.' Lain looked into his eyes. 'Really.'

'You're in love with him.' It was definitely a statement.

Her eyes wavering, Lain suddenly looked away. 'What do_ you _know about me?'

'You're going to find yourself in ultimate hell Lain, trust me.' Exhaling loudly, Quasim stood up and tossed a few dollars onto the coffee table. 'This treat's mine, I'll see you later, I still have something to do.'

'Thanks.'

'You can get home by yourself right?' Quasim asked before stepping out of his seat.

Lain nodded and waved her hand absently. 'I'm not a six year old, I live in this area, I'll find my way back home.'

'See you then.'

Draining down the rest of her hot chocolate, Lain sat there, watching through the window as Quasim climbed into his car and drove off, giving her a wave before he turned and hit the road.

She knew Quasim had sensed something between the two of them, something unusual, like Madge, yet he didn't say anything until tonight, after being a witness of their marriage.

'He's crazy.' Lain muttered, taking deep breaths. 'There's no way…'

'Miss, do you want anything else?' The waitress asked.

'No.' She handed her the dollars Quasim left behind. 'Keep the change.'

Stepping out of the coffee house, Lain pulled her white jacket closer to herself, frowning at the sudden gust of wind that blew through her hair. People said her hair was her best feature, aside from her abnormally bright eyes. She hated her eyes, they reminded her too much of her Mother. She hated when people said she looked like her.

Zipping up her jacket, Lain stuck her hands into the pockets and strolled down the streets. The coffee house was in a relatively quiet area, near the residential region of the colony. The coffee house was actually near to where she lived, but somehow, she didn't feel like going home. It didn't feel like home anymore. Miraculously, she didn't want to be alone.

As she walked down the streets, it got noisier and noisier.

As she walked past a huge neon light box that read 'Fuck me Up', she jumped back as a crowd of teenagers stumbled past her. Apparently one was being chased by the hoard with bottles of champagne. Lain couldn't help but stop and watch as the victim was tracked down and drowned with the sweet liquid, laughing as the others around them cheered on.

A sudden feeling of bitterness rose inside Lain, making her feel uncomfortable. Turning away abruptly, she continued down the street, watching as the people around her enjoyed themselves. The streets were lined with bars and nightclubs where people around her were mostly drunk or on the way. She even saw a crowd cheering loudly as a young woman started stripping herself to the music, starting with her torn shirt.

'You don't belong here.' Lain whispered as she continued her way. She didn't belong here either, what right did she have to tell Rusty off? She didn't. Quasim was right, she was indeed pathetic.

Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her thoughts but found it hard with the increasingly loud music blaring through the speakers from the nightclubs nearby. She suddenly opened her eyes at the sound of church bells and turned her head in the chime's direction.

'Someone's getting married today?' She heard a group of kids say.

'Maybe they're drunk.'

'How's that?'

'Don't you know that half the people who get married around this area _are_ drunk.'

As if her feet were carrying her, Lain turned to the direction of the church. Her pace quickened unconsciously and she was later pushing her way through the crowds. When she got to the entrance of the church, she saw a couple stumble out, laughing like fools.

'Another drunken couple.'

'Man, lawyers around this place really make a lot from these divorces.'

Lain continued standing there as the crowd started to dissipate. Swallowing hard, she stepped into the small dingy church and was met with a glare from the receptionist.

'Another marriage? You will have to wait.' She acted like she was ordered to make another hamburger.

'You let people marry when they're_ that_ drunk?' Lain asked.

'Of course.' The woman said lazily, taking out a filer. 'They pay and we do the job, simple as that.'

Lain raised her eyebrows. 'Really?'

'What do you really want?' The woman asked rudely, glaring up at her. 'If you're not here to get married then buzz off, there are plenty of people waiting in line you know.'

'Do you have rings?' Lain asked.

'Wedding rings?' Nodding, the receptionist opened a drawer and took out a velvet tray that carried a limited selection of wedding bands.

'Do you have any engraving services?' Lain asked, picking up a pair that were made of platinum.

'Of course.' The receptionist continued to file her nails. 'I can do it in ten minutes, just tell me the name and date.'

'_You_ do it?' Lain looked at her skeptically.

'Yes.' The receptionist said curtly.

Lain stared down at the pair in her hands. Sighing heavily, she handed it to the receptionist. 'I'll take this pair.'

'Write down the name and date on this piece of paper.'

Taking a deep breath, Lain wrote her name down neatly. She followed by writing the name 'Russ' beside hers, but stopped. Gulping down a huge lump, she crossed it out and wrote 'Rusty', followed by today's date.

'You got married today?' The receptionist asked absently as she set the machine up.

'Yeah.' Lain said uncomfortably, tapping her feet on the carpeted floor.

'Without a wedding ring?' The woman looked over her shoulder briefly. 'What kind of a husband do _you_ have.'

'You wouldn't want to know.' Lain muttered. Ten minutes later, the woman handed her the two engraved rings in a red velvet box. Snapping it shut, she stuck it in her pocket and paid in cash, much to the receptionist's surprise.

_What are you doing?_ Lain asked herself as she walked down the street. She kept wandering down the streets until she reached the park across her building.

She remembered strolling down the park with Rusty, hand in hand, like a happy couple. People in the park would smile at them, kids would come up and ask them to play. After that first time, they came down every now and then, it was like a routine, a routine she never experienced. Those ten months not only changed her life style, it also changed_ her_. She was not the type to miss something but now, she missed this park, she missed the time she spent with Rusty. She hadn't realized how much she loved spending time with him, and now…

Reaching into her pocket, Lain leaned against the railing and flipped it open. She stared down at it, touching it once in a while. She didn't even bother to find shelter when it started to pour, soaking her completely. She just stared down at the wedding rings she bought until the sun rose. The rain had stopped but she was still soaked from head to toe. She looked up when a woman rode by her in a bicycle, the water splashing up slightly.

'Sorry there!' The woman called, looking over her shoulder.

Sighing, Lain snapped the box shut again and walked out of the park. Crossing the familiar street, she stopped in front of her building, hesitating before she stepped in.

'Dear Gods, what happened?' The guard exclaimed.

'I forgot to bring my umbrella.' Lain explained absently, pressing on the elevator button.

'I thought you'd come back with that friend of yours.' The guard said.

'He came back?' Lain asked.

The guard nodded. 'Yeah, a women with dyed red hair came in with him. He looked so drunk and still had a beer bottle in his hand. I asked who the woman was and she said she was your sister, so I let her in.'

Her breath suddenly caught in her throat, Lain bowed her head as the elevator doors opened. 'Thanks.'

'Take care!' The guard called before the doors closed.

Standing in the middle of the elevator, Lain looked down at her feet, feeling numb as she was carried up the building. Stepping out of the lift, she felt all the energy drain from her as she approached her door. Taking a deep breath, she reached into her pocket and took out her keys, unlocking the door. Closing it behind her soundlessly, she turned and saw clothes discarded on the wooden floor, trailing it's way down to the end. The door to the master bedroom was half closed and a red lacy thong was hooked on the doorknob.

Stepping over the clothes, Lain put one hand on the door. Clutching the velvet box in her hands, she pushed it open soundlessly.

'You're back?' Novita sat up from the bed with the sheets wrapped around her naked body, a lit cigarette in her mouth. 'Morning.'

Stirring in his sleep, Rusty turned to his side, the sheets twisting around his waist. Lain could see the sweat dripping down the side of his face.

'Go back to sleep.' Novita whispered into his ears. Slipping off the bed, she dragged the heavy sheets around and walked towards the dressing table, tapping the cigarette over the wedding certificate. Taking a shaky drag, she looked over her shoulder and smirked.

'You're awfully quiet Lain.' Novita sneered, turning towards her. She shot a glance at Rusty's sleeping form. 'You're husband's really good in bed.'

Lain just stared at her, feeling totally numb.

'I wanted him first and you know I'll get what I want.' Novita continued. Walking up to her, she breathed out the smoke into Lain's face. 'You'll always be the loser. He's mine.'

Looking down, Lain saw a huge water stain around her feet from the water dripping from her body.

Dropping the half burnt cigarette onto the floor, Novita strolled to the dressing table and picked up the wedding certificate. Holding it up, she gave Lain a sly smile and tore it into four. Raising it up in the air, she let it go, the heavy piece flying before her.

Swallowing with her teeth clutched, Lain turned and left the room. Crossing her arms, Novita watched as she walked down the hallway and stepped out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

'Miss, are you crying?' The guard asked carefully when she stepped out of the elevator again.

Lain shook her head and gave him a small smile.

'It was the rain.'

* * *

'Where's Lain?' Herze asked, lighting a cigar.

'She's sick.' Quasim said, sitting down at the table, shooting Rusty a glance. 'She's with Madge right now.'

'She's supposed to bring something today.' Giles said.

'Here it is.' Quasim reached under the table and pulled out a long case and pushed it across the table.

'What's this?' Rusty asked.

'A new weapon, upgraded version of NSX-543.' Quasim replied.

'Who do you want dead this time Dad?' Novita asked, resting her cheek on her palm. Rusty narrowed his eyes slightly at the hand that ran up his thigh.

'From now on, Rusty MacKenzie is dead.' Herze puffed out some smoke. 'You know that from now you are Russ Enzia, Nessar's ace assassin. You don't need to ask question, you just kill whoever I want killed.'

'Perfect.' Rusty nodded. 'That's what I want to do, no helpers required, just tell me who you want dead.'

Smirking, Herze tossed a file onto the table. 'I've got a list for you, go over them. You have a week.'

Rusty smiled, picking up the file.

'You can go now.' Herze turned to Quasim. 'Take him out and come back as soon as possible, I want to talk to you and Novita.'

'Yes Father.' Bowing his head, Quasim stood up, motioning for Rusty. Nodding, he picked up the case and file. He raised one eyebrow at Novita before turning around.

'I see you're tired Enzia.' Quasim commented lightly as they entered the elevator. 'You've had some fun haven't you?'

'That's what wedding nights are for.' Rusty said absently.

'You're a disappointment.' Quasim said quietly, glaring at him. 'You really are.'

'How's that?' Rusty asked, a small smile on his face.

'You're putting her through hell.' Quasim said. 'And she's done nothing wrong, except for maybe falling in love with you.'

Rusty smirked. 'She indeed acted like she fell in love with me that night. I'm starting to wonder if I've married the wrong person.'

'You did.' Quasim said shortly as the elevator door opened. 'And you're putting her through hell. She doesn't deserve this kind of punishment.'

Smiling, Rusty bowed his head slightly and stepped out of the elevator. He stood there, training his eyes on nothing in particular. Taking a deep breath, he put on his shades and hauled the heavy case, walking towards his car. The sun was shining brightly but the ground was still wet from the continuous nights of rain. Throwing the case into the backseat of the sports sedan he was provided, he slammed the door and climbed into the driver's seat.

The four nights of rain had bothered him, they were sleepless nights. It wasn't because of the vigorous physical activity but because of the darkness. He didn't want to fall asleep and only closed his eyes from time to time. Though he felt safer sleeping when the sun had come up, it just wasn't the same sleeping with her, having her arms wrapped around him.

_'She's done nothing wrong, except for maybe falling in love with you.' _

Narrowing his eyes, he added pressure to the gas. What did Quasim Van Ness know? Lain didn't want him around so he left the house. She didn't want him in her life, right? He did the right thing, right?

'You are so pathetic Rusty MacKenzie.' Rusty cursed. 'Absolutely pathetic.'

He was lying if he told people guilt didn't plunge him when he found Novita butt naked beside him. He had slept with another women, his wife's sister on his wedding night. Despite the guilt, he pushed it away and concentrated on how Novita turned him on, fired him up and made him feel just so damn good. She had suggested they leave the apartment and head off to her villa. He didn't say no, couldn't really find a reason to say no except probably that he was married. Novita van Ness was the perfect women who knew how to satisfy men.

_You know that's not what you want._ Rusty thought

Lain's face flashed through his mind endlessly. He wanted to be with her, he wanted her so badly…

_She's in love with me?_ Stopping the car in the backstreet of the apartment, he sat there, gripping the steering wheel. _That's impossible. _

Stepping out of the car, he took the long case out from the backseat and slammed the door. He was glancing down at his watch when the cellphone in his pocket rang.

'Enzia.' He was getting use to using this name already.

'You want to come over tonight baby?' Novita asked.

Smirking, Rusty leaned against the car with his feet crossed. 'You know I won't say no to your invitations, but I can't tonight.'

'Why?' Novita frowned. 'Where are you?'

'Back at the apartment.' Rusty replied.

'What? But Rusty – '

'The name's Russ.' Rusty interrupted. 'I prefer people using my new name, it reminds me of my new identity honey.'

'Fine.' Novita pouted.

'I need to go back sooner or later, I'm married to your sister.' Rusty said.

'You were supposed to marry me.' Novita muttered. 'I can't believe it.'

'Be good.' Rusty coaxed. 'Don't make an issue out of it, you know you're not the position and neither am I.'

'Fine, I'll see you later sweetie.' Novita gave him a smooch through the phone.

'Yeah, I'll see you.' With that, Rusty cut the connection, snapping the cover shut. Hauling the case from the trunk cover, he strolled out of the alley and entered the lobby of the building.

'I haven't seen you in a long time sir.' The guard looked up from the station. 'I haven't had a chance to ask your name.'

'The name's Enzia.' Rusty replied. 'Russ Enzia.'

'Are you roommates with Miss Van Ness or…'

'We're newlyweds.' Rusty said before he could stop himself.

The guard raised his eyebrows. 'Newlyweds?'

Rusty nodded. 'Yeah, not your average kind of couple, but yeah.'

'I thought you were with the red head lady who went up to the apartment with you a few days ago.'

'That's Lain's sister.' Rusty replied.

'Oh, now that makes some sense.' The guard nodded. 'It's just weird though. Miss Van Ness came walking in a few days ago soaked from head to toe and walked back out ten minutes later.'

Rusty widened his eyes slightly. 'Is she here now?'

The guard shrugged. 'I don't know, I was off the next few days. I thought she was crying when she got out of the elevator, but she said it was just the rain. '

Rusty swallowed and looked away. 'Thanks, my elevators here.'

'Have a good day sir.'

Rusty racked his hand through his spiky hair and punched in the floor number. If Lain had come up to the apartment that morning, that meant…

'She certainly thinks there's no problem.' Rusty muttered bitterly, stepping out of the elevator. If she did give a damn she would have done something, even if it was Novita. She certainly had a fun time shooting at her with a gun. This just proved just how much she really cared about their 'relationship', she wasn't even bothered that her husband had slept with another women on their wedding night.

Or so it seems…

Rusty frowned as he stepped into the apartment. Something was different… really different.

Setting the case down, he looked around. Was there a renovation he didn't know in the past four days? The lights were on so that meant Lain was here…

Rusty walked to the end of the hall where the master bedroom was. Opening the door, he widened his eyes. All the old furniture was thrown away in replace of brand new ones. The mini bar was gone in replace of a sofa set. Before, the bed was a four poster, made with mahogany wood. Now, everything was in white, from the desk to the wardrobes and the sofa set. There was even carpet.

What happened around here during his absence?

'You're back.'

Rusty looked up and saw Lain standing at the bathroom door wearing a thick white towel. Her long waist length hair was pulled up loosely with a single clip and she was barefoot.

'What's going on here?' Rusty asked, taking off his shoes.

'You mean the minor renovation?' Lain asked nonchalantly, walking to the dressing table.

'You call this minor? Rusty frowned. 'You changed everything and added carpet.'

'I wanted to change this room anyway.' Lain shrugged. 'It's no big deal, I've got the money.' She looked at Rusty through the mirror.

'I got your rifle.' Rusty said. 'Quasim said you were sick.'

Lain sighed. 'Nothing serious.'

'You came here that morning?' Rusty asked, pretty much knowing the answer.

'Yeah.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'No hard feelings huh?'

'You want me to?' Lain countered.

Rusty looked away, refusing to answer. She cried? It seemed impossible.

'Well, let me tell you this.' Lain sat up and took the clip out of her head, letting the silky black locks fall over her back like a waterfall. Turning she walked up to him.

Rusty's eyes started to tremble as they caught her taking off her robe, letting it fall to her ankles. Stopping right in front of him, Lain traced one finger across his jaw line and turned his head by the chin.

'I'd like a little respect in my very own house.' Lain lowered her eyes, breathing into Rusty's lips. 'I'm not asking much, just don't ever bring my sister or any girl back here. Do that and I will kill them.' She paused and licked Rusty's lips. 'Then you.'

Stepping back, Lain raised her eyebrows at him. Turning, she stepped over the discarded robe and climbed into the bed. It was only four in the afternoon but Lain had the heavy drapes closed, limited sunlight shining into the room.

Clenching his teeth, Rusty headed towards the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Holding himself against the basin counter, he glared at himself in the mirror. Pulling at his hair, he started stripping himself and jumped into the shower, letting icy cold water splash over him. She turned him on hard and she didn't even touch him, except for probably licking his lips.

_Face it dude, you want her like nothing else._ Rusty thought as he toweled himself off. Throwing the towel into the hamper, he walked back into the room butt naked. Lain was lying on the bed, breathing slowly with her eyes closed, the sheets pulled to her chest. She seemed to be sleeping, but you never knew.

He caught his reflection in the mirror when padding across the room and stopped. He had always been a hottie, even from his academy days. He wasn't a flirt like Dearka, but he had his fair share of dates and no one would expect him to marry at the age of seventeen.

_Married? I don't feel like it._ Rusty thought bitterly. He was about to turn around when something caught his eyes. He walked to the dressing table and saw their wedding certificate. It was taped back together. Picking it up, Rusty sniffed it and wasn't at all surprised to smell smoke. It had to be Novita.

Putting the piece of paper back onto the dressing table, he stared down at the velvet box. Reaching out one suspiciously trembling hand, he picked it up and opened it. Taking the single ring out, he peered at the inside and found Lain's name carved into it, along with the date of their marriage. Turning, he stared down at Lain and for the first time, saw an identical ring dangling around her neck from a silver chain.

_She bought a ring?_ Rusty stared down at it. Taking a deep breath, he slipped it onto his left fourth finger. Turning off the lights, he climbed into the sheets and stared up at the ceiling, the strong sun-setting light seeping through the heavy curtains.

'I haven't slept well Lain.' Rusty suddenly whispered. 'It's not the same with out you.' Closing his eyes, he waited patiently until the body beside him stirred. Opening his eyes again, he found himself staring up at amber eyes.

She was beautiful.

Reaching out one hand, Lain caressed Rusty's face, brushing his spiky bangs out of his eyes.

'You know what I look like now don't you?' Lain whispered, the sheets sliding down her chest.

'Yeah.' Rusty breathed.

'What do you think?' Lain murmured, tracing his lips.

'Just what I thought.' Rusty reached out his left hand and bumped his ring against the one dangling from Lain's neck. 'Beautiful.'

Leaning down, Lain brushed her lips across Rusty's, looking into his clear blue eyes. Opening his mouth, Rusty tugged onto her lip with his teeth. Sliding his hand up her back, he pushed her down gently and kissed her slowly. It felt right, it felt so damn right.

He was pathetic; she was pathetic.

They were both pathetic.

**  
End of Chapter 5**

**A/N: **Uh, someone complaining that I update too fast, interesting... Anyway, you'll be cursing me when I don't update for three weeks. Yeah, unfortunately, that's the case because I'm leaving home for university overseas, so my life will be pretty hectic until I settle down completely. That's kind of why I updated so fast... as compensation.

Some readers might think that I was being bitchy in my last little comment at the end of chapter 4, but I was pissed. The thing is there's a warning at the very top of every chapter stating that there will be _'explicit adult content'_, so on and so forth. Repeating what I commented, the warning and **R/M **rating is there for a _reason._ No flames and complains of such sort will be tolerated because I have already warned you. It's your problem if you don't look out for the warnings and I suggest that you do so if you haven't because every warning on top will be present in the following chapters, trust me. Just because I don't write a lot at the end of each chapter doesn't mean I won't when I feel the need to defend myself _and_ my story.

Next is people commenting on the focus on Rusty alone. Well, this_ is_ Rusty's story, so it's only reasonable that I puta majorfocus on Rusty. Dearka and Miriallia have turned to supporting characters, as well as all the others present in 'Rebound'. It really is only fair to let Rusty be in the spotlight for once. I like him! That's why I decided to write a story about him in the first place. However, from Ch 6 onwards, the story will continue from where 'Rebound' was left, so readers who aren't a fan of Rusty or think the first part is boring will have something else to look forward to, if you're still interested at all.

As I've mentioned, there will be no updates for the next three weeks to be safe. In the meantime where I don't have internet access, I'll be working on GS Aftermath III when I have the time. It's half finished by the way. If you want to see what's going on with my life, you can go to my LJ by the username 'piscesmiles'.

See you in three weeks! Constructive criticism will always be welcomed.

**  
**


	7. Chapter 6

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 6**

_Two years later / A.C. 73_

Athrun Zala almost dropped his cell phone onto the floor, his hands shaking. He looked up when he heard someone unlocking the door to his apartment.

'Athrun? Are you still there?' Dearka asked on the other end.

'I'll call you back, give me the details then.' Athrun said quickly, then cut the connection.

'Athrun?' Cagalli Yula Attha called, taking off her shoes at the door. Hauling the two bags of groceries, she found Athrun sitting at the kitchen counter of his apartment, staring at her with blank eyes. 'Are you okay?'

Athrun blinked, snapping back to reality. 'Yeah, what's going on?'

Cagalli frowned. 'You really okay?' She put the grocery bags onto the clean counter and walked up to him. 'You're not sick are you?' She felt his forehead with one palm.

'I'm fine Cagalli.' Athrun said shakily, taking a deep breath. 'What's with the grocery?'

Cagalli looked at him weirdly. 'I said I'd cook tonight, I thought I told you yesterday.'

'Oh, yeah.' Athrun shook his head. 'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.' Cagalli gave him a light kiss on the forehead, brushing some of his dark blue locks from his eyes. 'You must be tired from your trip to Aprilius One.'

'You were just looking out for Miriallia and I'm glad you let me go.' Athrun said, smiling up at her. 'At least we're on normal talking terms now.'

'Good.' Cagalli returned the smile and turned to the counter. 'Lacus taught me some cooking the day before when I went to the orphanage. She said I'm a fast learner so I thought I'd try it on you.'

'If Lacus approves your cooking, then I think it's eatable.' Athrun joked, hopping off the stool.

Cagalli threw a smirk over her shoulder. 'Let's just hope. Like I said, you're my experiment.'

'What are you going to make?' Athrun asked, peering into the grocery bags.

'Casserole, that's what Lacus taught me.' Cagalli said absently, washing her hands.

'How're the two happy couples doing?' Athrun asked, pouring himself a glass of water. He let her take a sip before drinking from it.

'You know, the same.' Cagalli replied, taking out the grocery. 'Some of the orphans have been adopted though.'

'Which one?' Athrun asked, leaning against the counter.

'The twins, Aliandra and Belva.' Cagalli said, washing the tomatoes. 'They were adopted by this young couple who had lost their new born baby during the war. They cried so much when they had to leave, you know Kira and Lacus were like their parents.'

'It's for the best.' Athrun said softly. 'They're what? Five? They need a regular family, a normal family so they'd get to grow up innocently, and not like us.'

'Athrun?' Cagalli turned and looked at him.

Athrun shook his head and gave her a weak smile. 'I'm okay. I haven't seen them in a long time though.'

'They asked about you.' Cagalli said. 'The kids miss you too, you want to go down there some time?'

'Yeah.' Athrun looked down at his glass of water. 'Some time.'

'You don't have to watch me cook you know.' Cagalli said. 'I'm not going to burn down your kitchen if I can help it.'

Athrun looked at her with raised eyebrows. 'Are you sure?'

'Yes, now go, take a shower or watch TV.' Cagalli shooed.

Athrun laughed. 'Okay, but you be careful.'

Cagalli rolled her eyes. 'I'm always!'

Athrun stopped at the sliding door that led to his bedroom and looked over his shoulder. 'Cagalli.'

'Hmm?' Cagalli turned, her hands at the small of her back, tying the purple apron on.

'You're like my house wife now.' Athrun smiled.

Feeling heat rise up her face, Cagalli grabbed an apple from the grocery bags and threw it at him. 'Get out!'

Laughing, Athrun caught the apple and took a bite, sliding the door to his bedroom shut. Exhaling loudly, he ran one hand through his soft shoulder length hair and headed for the bathroom, needing a shower. When he stepped out of the bathroom again, he felt slightly refreshed. After throwing on white slacks and a khaki colored crew neck T-shirt, he slipped his bare feet into white towel slippers and walked into the kitchen again.

'Wow, it does smell good.' Athrun commented, his hair still moist from the shower.

'Told you.' Cagalli smirked, taking off the apron. 'I'm a fast learner.' She slapped Athrun's sneaking hand away. 'Uh-uh, no eating yet.'

'Yes honey.' Athrun said slyly, sitting on the stool again. He couldn't help but smile at Cagalli's cute reaction as she walked back and forth, putting the dirty bowls into the sink and wiping the cooking counter. She knew he liked things neat and tidy and had picked up this habit of his during their two years together. Wearing loose jeans and a worn white T-shirt, Cagalli didn't really look like the powerful political figure she usually was during the day. He couldn't help but feel giddy at the fact that he was the only one who'd get to see this side of Cagalli Yula Attha, it was only for Athrun Zala.

'You want anything to drink?' Cagalli asked, opening the fridge.

'Uh, I think I bought cider the other day.' Athrun said, sitting up.

'Here we are.' She took out the bottle of cider and closed the fridge door shut with her hips. Taking out two wine glasses, she poured the sparkling cider in. 'Cheers.'

'Cheers.' Athrun smiled as their glass clinked together.

'So?' Cagalli looked at Athrun nervously as he put a cut up meat loaf into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he chewed on it slowly. 'What do you think?'

'Not bad.' Athrun admitted, taking a sip from his cider. 'Really, not bad, you should learn some more from Lacus and cook more around here.'

Cagalli giggled. 'You know, we had this little cooking lesson with Lacus, you know, me and Miriallia and she just gave up before we even started.'

'She can't cook?' Athrun raised his eyebrows. 'She looks more like a housewife than you Cagalli, she doesn't seem like the type who can't cook.'

'Believe me, she can't.' Cagalli rolled her eyes. 'It was horrible.'

Athrun snorted. 'Let's just hope Dearka can then.'

'How are those two by the way?' Cagalli asked.

Athrun nodded. 'Not bad, I just got a call from Dearka.'

'And?'

Athrun paused. 'Dearka took her back to Aprilius One, I assume they've made things work out after all.'

'That's good news.' Cagalli said in relief. 'I just can't imagine how Miriallia had managed through those three months.'

'She's a tough girl.' Was Athrun's response.

They had their dinner in relative peace, talking about their friends and food Cagalli should cook next time. Athrun was silent when they did the dishes and Cagalli sensed something wrong. Athrun wasn't exactly a talkative person but when something was bothering him, she could sense it easily and it worked both ways.

'Here you go.' Cagalli set down a cup of steaming tea on the coffee table.

'Thanks.' Athun motioned for Cagalli to sit beside him on the low rise sofa. Complying, Cagalli sat down with her tea in both hands, leaning onto Athrun's side while he wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Cagalli looked around while sipping her tea, her legs crossed on the sofa.

Athrun's apartment wasn't small nor big, average size if you asked her. It only had one bedroom but it was pretty big, separated from the kitchen and living room by a sliding door. Athrun had kept the decoration as simple as possible and the colors were either solid dark ones like navy blue and deep green or gray and white. Cagalli liked Athrun's style, she liked spending time in his apartment, just hanging out. Just being with him made all the pressure from work fade away.

'Are you tired Cagalli?' Athrun asked softly, messaging the side of Cagalli's head with one hand, sipping tea from the other.

'I'm okay.' Cagalli replied, resting her head on Athrun's shoulder.

'Did you drive?' Athrun asked in a bare whisper.

Cagalli nodded. Setting his cup down, Athrun turned his head and leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. Pulling her closer to him, he deepened the kiss. Cagalli was practically straddling him when they parted, panting against each other.

'You're okay tonight right?' Athrun asked, his hand slipping beneath the soft material of Cagalli's T-shirt. Seeing her nod, Athrun picked her up and walked into his bedroom, sliding the doors shut with his foot. He gave her an eager kiss as her back hit the thick sheets of Athrun's bed. Peeling off her shirt, he started trailing kisses down her neck and over her chest. Cagalli couldn't help but arch her body up against Athrun's chest as he dug his hands beneath her, surrounding her with his secure and comfortable warmth.

The lights in Athrun's bedroom were off except for the lamp on his working table when Cagalli woke up again. She was lying face down on Athrun's bed and could still smell Athrun's scent. Athrun had pulled the sheets to her shoulders and when she moved, the soft fabric slid down her bare back. She squinted her eyes slightly at Athrun who was sitting at the desk with only his boxers on, looking down at something. He was thinking about something, something was definitely bothering him, she knew it.

Before Cagalli could push herself from the bed, Athrun turned in his chair. 'Did I wake you?'

Cagalli shook her head. Sighing, Athrun walked to the bed and sat down. 'Go to sleep, it's only two in the morning.'

'What's bothering you?' Cagalli asked, sitting up.

'It's that obvious?' Athrun asked dryly, caressing her cheek.

'Has something gone wrong?' Cagalli asked in a worried tone, grabbing his arm.

Athrun sighed. Wrapping one arm around Cagalli's shoulders, he sat himself comfortably on the bed, pulling the sheets up so they won't get cold. The single light shining from the table didn't allow Cagalli a clear look of Athrun's face.

'There is something going on Cagalli.' Athrun admitted, tightening his grip.

'What?' Cagalli asked softly, leaning the side of her face on Athrun's bare chest.

'I got a call from Dearka before you came in tonight.' Athrun said. 'They've got a problem over there.'

'Yeah?'

'They have a clue to who the assassin is.' Athrun said uncertainly.

'They do?' Cagalli pulled away and looked up at Athrun.

Athrun nodded. 'Both.'

'You mean the one at Orb and the one who shot Miriallia are the same?' Cagalli asked carefully. 'What's wrong then?'

Athrun sighed. 'It's still unbelievable, but…' Cagalli waited patiently, squeezing his shoulder gently in support. 'It's one of my comrades from the Heliopolis raid, the one who was confirmed KIA.'

Cagalli's eyebrows furrowed. 'Are you sure?'

'Yzak and Dearka seem to be pretty sure.' Athrun said slowly. 'Apparently, they got a very clear photo of him and it's unmistakable.'

'Is there a chance he's got a twin?' Cagalli asked, her eyebrows raised.

'Even if he did have one, it wouldn't be him.' Athrun said firmly. 'He's a sniper, a professional. Both attacks were done by a sniper and it's really not a surprise that he's the one behind everything if you review the attack a few months ago. I just… it just doesn't seem possible that he's alive…'

Cagalli reached out one hand and touched Athrun's face. 'We both thought Kira died too during the war, nothing's impossible Athrun.'

Athrun exhaled loudly. 'You're right Cagalli.'

'Is there anything you want?' Cagalli asked. 'Dearka must have called you for a reason.'

'They want me there.' Athrun replied. 'But I need a reason Cagalli, would it be okay if – '

Cagalli nodded stopped Athrun with one finger on his lips. 'I'll send you as Orb's representative on the assassination investigation, I'll sort things out for you so don't worry.'

'I'm sorry Cagalli.' Athrun leaned his forehead onto hers.

'Don't be.' Cagalli whispered. 'You'll regret if you don't clear things out for yourself. I understand.'

'Thank you.' Was all Athrun could say as he tightened his grip around her.

* * *

'Who's there?'

'It's me.' Lain stepped into the darkness of the suite.

'What are you doing here?' Madge asked, biting on the cigarette.

'To see if you're still alive.' Lain said softly.

'Why won't I be alive?' Madge countered, looking up at her. 'I'm great.'

'It's been three months Madge, I've heard you haven't stepped out of this suite for three damn months. What are you doing to yourself?' Lain sat down on the sofa across from Madge.

'I know you're strong, but not everyone's as strong as you Lain.' Madge sat up and grinded her cigarette into the ashtray. Feeling for the coffee table, she grabbed the box of cigarettes and took out one.

'Snap out of it Madge.' Lain reached over and snatched the cigarette from Madge's mouth before she could light it. 'You've been nothing but shit for the past nine years, no wonder Marni thinks so low of you.'

'Shut up Lain!' Madge snapped, glaring up at her.

'Oh, you think I'm wrong?' Lain crossed her arms. 'Look at you, you're no better than a piece of trash, mulling around this place. I told you it's not worth it Madge, you know you've become this piece of shit for someone who does not deserve it.'

'What do you have against your Mother Lain?' Madge spat. 'Sure she may have been a whore but – '

'We're not talking about her.' Lain cut in, narrowing her eyes. 'I'm talking about you. You're son's dead.'

'He should be ashamed to have such a Mother.' Madge murmured, exhaling loudly. Leaning back, she looked up while tossing the packet of cigarettes on the coffee table again. 'I really am that pathetic, who am I to make judgment and defense on others.'

'Have you even visited Marni's grave?' Lain asked. Madge shook her head. 'I can't help you if you don't help yourself Madge.'

'I don't need your help.' Madge whispered. 'You have better things to do then trying to comfort a wuss like me Lain.'

'Do you know why Marni killed himself in that jail?' Lain asked.

Madge shook her head.

'Probably because he knew it would be it for him. The officials made it clear that he was trying to assassinate some important politician and even the princess, but he said nothing, he didn't give anything away, not even Rusty.'

'His name's Russ.' Madge eyed Lain.

Lain ignored that comment. 'The least you can do is be proud of him now. He's gone, he's really gone.'

'I know.' Madge whispered.

'Rusty shot the girl.' Lain suddenly said.

'Which girl?' Madge looked at Lain.

'The girl who shot Marni down at Orb.' Lain replied. 'He didn't kill her, never intended to anyway.'

'No one knows what's going through that mind of his.' Madge muttered. 'No one.'

'I'm going to take off.' Lain stood up.

'You're not shaken by all this are you?' Madge asked as the door slide open.

Lain looked over her shoulder blankly. 'When you've seen the worst, nothing will get you shaken.'

'And you've seen the worst.' Madge concluded.

Lain smiled bitterly. 'I believe I have, and have done the worst.'

Stepping out of the room, Lain walked down the familiar corridors and found her way out of the Manor effortlessly. She was surprised to find Rusty leaned against the glass doors with his arms crossed.

'What are you doing here?' Lain asked.

'Let's talk in the car.' Rusty said.

Nodding, Lain followed him, realizing it was the first time they left the Manor together.

'What is it?' Lain asked in her monotone as Rusty cruised down the woods.

'I'm losing time here.' Rusty said.

'Why?' Lain asked.

'You know why.' Rusty growled. 'They took my pictures.'

'You let them.' Lain retorted.

'Maybe.' Rusty shrugged. 'But – '

'They closed your file, Yzak Jule's most trusted Major erased the data.' Lain said flatly. 'It's apparent that they don't want to pass anything else, especially to the council until they sort things out with you.' Lain paused. 'They still don't know they're the targets.'

'Maybe I should just do a quick breakout.' Rusty said.

'If you can really suck it up and do it, I don't care.' Lain muttered.

'I can do it.' Rusty said quietly. 'Believe me.'

Lain closed her eyes and leaned back. 'You can do anything Rusty MacKenzie.'

The rest of the ride was in silence until Rusty pulled in the alley. Without a word, Lain stepped out of the car. Rusty paused before following her, locking the car on the way.

'There's basically nothing in the fridge.' Rusty said as they entered the apartment they've been living in together for the past two and a half years, supposedly as husband and wife.

'I'll stock it up later.' Lain said tiredly. Taking off her white jacket, she tossed it onto the kitchen counter and poured herself a glass of water. Rusty too took off his deep blue trench coat and sat down at the table, looking at Lain's back.

'I'm not going to be around tonight.' Rusty said, seating back with his arms crossed.

'Sure.' Lain said casually, her back still to him while she drank from her glass.

Rusty clenched his teeth. 'I want some demolition explosives, prepare them for me. Also, I need the blueprint of the ZAFT headquarters in Aprilius One. Also, put a fake identity into it's database so I can check through.'

'Sure.' Lain repeated the same response.

'Can you give me another response?' Rusty hissed.

'Sure.'

Sitting up abruptly, Rusty picked up his trench coat and left the kitchen. Lain set down the glass on the counter when the door to the master bedroom slammed shut. Putting the glass into the stainless steel basin, Lain picked up her white coat gently from the table. Leaving the kitchen, she crossed the hall and entered the room across the kitchen. She walked past the separator and did the routine that lead her into the workshop she had been mulling in for the past few years.

Taking the cellphone out of the pocket, Lain tossed the jacket onto the counter. Leaning against one of the desk where the parts of a sniper rifle were waiting to be put together, she flipped open the cell phone and entered the message box, opening a message she got two hours ago.

_'Code 67443, Pipkins.' _

Taking a deep breath, she dropped the phone onto the floor. Looking down at the screen that was starting to blink and go static, she stepped on it, grinding her sharp heel into the screen until it went completely blank.

'You're alone Lain van Ness.' She whispered, kicking the broken phone against the wall. 'You'll always be alone.'

* * *

'This is the representative of Orb, Alex Dino, sent by Orb Authorities concerning the investigations of the assassination attempt on Miriallia Haww.'

'Yes, of course Major Elthman.' The receptionist nodded and dialed a number. She smiled up at Athrun until the connection went through. 'Commander Jule, Mr. Alex Dino, the representative of Orb has arrived, should I send him up immediately?'

'Yes please.' Athrun heard Yzak's voice from the intercom.

'Security has cleared Major, you can escort him into the headquarters.' The receptionist said.

Dearka nodded and motioned for Athrun. Following him, Athrun looked around the familiar place through his shades, a sense of déjà vu flowing through his veins.

They were both quiet, knowing better with so many people around. After a few change of lifts, they finally made it to Yzak's office, his secretary stepping out of it.

'His appointment.' Dearka explained when the secretary looked at him.

'Of course, Mr. Dino.' The secretary nodded.

Stepping into Yzak's office, Athrun wasn't at all surprised to find him scribbling away behind his huge desk, files and papers stacked on the floor beside it.

'Wait a minute.' Yzak held his hand up, not even looking up. Dearka could only shrug when Athrun looked at him. Yzak stood up while closing the file. Nodding at the both of them, he pointed towards the door with the file.

'Where are you going Commander?' His secretary asked when he dropped the file onto her desk.

'I'm going to find Hahnenfuss.' Yzak said. 'I'll be back in a while, call me if there's anything urgent.'

'Yes sir.'

'This way.' Yzak motioned for them to follow him. They finally exited the building through the back doors.

'I never knew there was an exit here.' Athrun commented, looking around.

'There's been a renovation around here.' Dearka said absently, leaning against the building.

'We can't say anything in my office.' Yzak muttered, crossing his arms. 'There's no telling to who's tapping the lines.'

'I agree.' Athrun frowned.

'I never thought I'd see you again so soon.' Yzak smirked.

Athrun returned the smirk. 'Too bad.'

Dearka sneered. 'You two aren't exactly friends.'

'Is it true?' Athrun asked, his smirk fading. 'Are you sure it's Rusty?'

'Oh yeah.' Dearka muttered while Yzak took out a photograph from his uniform jacket.

'It is him right?' Yzak asked bitterly.

Athrun nodded slowly. 'Yeah, he can't fool anyone with that hair and smirk. It just makes sense and seems bizarre all at the same time.'

'What the hell is going through that son of a bitch's mind?' Dearka cursed.

'There's got to be an explanation.' Athrun said calmly.

'Like what?' Yzak shrieked. 'It's been, what? Almost three years! If he were alive, ZAFT would welcome him back. Even if ZAFT didn't, he could still live a life more normal than being an assassin! An assassin for _Nessar _for crying out loud!'

'Calm down Yzak.' Dearka said, frowning.

'Do you have his concrete target?' Athrun asked.

Yzak shook his head. 'No, but we've checked and most terrorist attacks that weren't solved in the past two years were most likely from Nessar, which means…'

'More or less have to do with Rusty.' Dearka concluded.

'Bizarre, absolutely bizarre.' Athrun muttered, pushing his shades up. 'Are you sure it's okay that the three of us talk here?'

'Better than in there.' Dearka muttered.

'If the council gets their hands on this case, there's no saying what this will turn out to be. I mean, an elite trained by ZAFT is launching terrorist attacks out there!' Yzak shook his head. 'Hahnenfuss already deleted everything possible.'

'Aren't they going to suspect anything?' Athrun asked uncertainly.

'Hahnenfuss is a pro, she's done it like there's a bug.' Yzak replied absently.

'Miriallia told me she's seen Rusty.' Dearka added.

'What?' Athrun widened his eyes. 'When?'

'Remember the male nurse who passed us that day at the hospital outside Miriallia's ward?' Dearka sighed when Athrun nodded. 'It was him.'

'Damn it.' Athrun cursed. 'He's a pro at infiltration too.'

'Infiltration…' Yzak tapped his chin with his index finger. 'That's very dangerous. Knowing Rusty, he can shake the whole of ZAFT if he wants.'

'Shiho took Miriallia out today.' Dearka added. 'We can't let her do an official record, it's too dangerous.'

'Agreed.' Athrun nodded. 'The problem now is, what should we do?'

'We could wait.' Dearka suggested bitterly.

'That _is_ a thought.' Yzak snarled. 'Yeah, make a trap and let him fall into it, smart.'

'He's never going to fall into a trap.' Athrun muttered. 'He's the one that sets traps and we're the ones who fall into them, it's never been the other way round.'

'Why do we always have to be in the light?' Yzak groaned.

'I'm more worried about his target Yzak.' Dearka crossed his arms.

'I know.' Yzak waved his hand in the air impatiently. 'The problem is we can't do anything, it's just – ' he stopped when his cellphone rang. 'What?' he answered curtly.

'Still the same old Yzak.' Athrun muttered, shooting a glance at Dearka, who smirked.

'What?' Yzak exclaimed. 'I'll come down there now.'

'What?' Dearka asked.

'Somebody sent in anonymous mail, the bomb disposal unit is working on it now. I've got to get down there now.' Yzak snapped his phone shut.

The three almost reached the ground floor when they heard a small explosion.

_'Clear!' _

'You thinking what I'm thinking?' Yzak muttered, eyeing Athrun and Dearka.

'It's not a big one.' Dearka said in relief, looking down at the foyer through the glass pane. 'Maybe it's just a warning? What do you think Athrun? Athrun?'

Yzak and Dearka shot each a glance before looking at Athrun's direction. He was looking up at the crowd of ZAFT soldiers looking over the foyer on the opposite side. Among the soldiers was one wearing a red elite uniform. He was looking down at them with a smirk, his spiky red bangs poking into his clear blue eyes that were slowly turning grey.

'For ZAFT…' Athrun read along with his lips as he raised his right hand in a salute.

The three watched as he raised one hand up, a remote with a single red button in his hand.

'It's him, it's him!' Yzak shouted. Taking a step back, he widened his eyes the red button was pressed without hesitation. The building suddenly shook as consecutive explosions could be heard.

'This way!' Dearka yelled over the noise. Pushing through the people who were rushing down the opposite direction, the three stopped in the middle of the hallway, the smoke and dust limiting their vision. Despite the chaotic situation, they could make him out.

Raising one hand, Rusty pointed his gun at the three of them through the smoke, smiling. The smile faded almost immediately and all they could hear was a gunshot before another wave of smoke separated them.

**End of Chapter 6  
**_Next Update: 12th September, 2005_

**A/N: **Just as I promised, an update early this week. Hope everyone enjoyed it, especially 'Rebound' fans, I promised this chapter would pick up from where 'Rebound' had ended and now the real fun begins, the last five chapters were just the ground work. Athrun x Cagalli mush too, as I've mentioned earlier, yeah, they look good together and I hope there's going to be a good ending for the two in GSD.

Updates will resume on a weekly basis, so I'll make it every Monday, since, well, today's a Monday, so. I hope I'll still have time because once my course work picks up, I'll be pretty busy because, well, I'm sure all students will be busy if they really study but I'm a Theatre major so I have a lot of extra practical and lab work. Oh well... people are still shouting outside the residence, everyone's up late today because tomorrow, school opens and the day after, lessons will officially start.


	8. Chapter 7

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 7**

He used to rather fond of ZAFT's elite uniform, it made him feel special, it represented other's recognition of his talents and ability. However, after two years, the uniform was suffocating him.

Tearing the collar apart, Rusty stuck both hands into his pockets and looked out, the wind blowing through his spiky red hair. He narrowed his clear blue eyes down at the chaotic situation he created a while ago, ambulances were rushing back and forth while fire trucks shot water at the fire created by the devices he had planted. He had to admit that the explosives Lain had given him were powerful.

Reaching into his uniform, he took out the pistol and threw it across the roof of the building he was standing on. He wasn't that professional after all. He hesitated, hesitated when the three of them were standing before him. He wanted to shoot, he was prepared to shoot and yet he didn't do it properly. He didn't kill them, not even one. He only shot Yzak in the arm and the bullet only brushed past his skin.

He should have seen this coming, he knew he'd have trouble with this. Sure, he had always been a loner during his academy days but there was still a special bond between them. When he looked at the three of them, the memories just came flooding back to him like a tidal wave, crashing into his mind.

'Snap out of it MacKenzie, you need to do this.' Rusty muttered to himself. There was no turning back, he had to kill them.

During the past two years, Rusty still sensed Herze's distrust towards him. He had his reasons, Rusty refused to do anything but kill people, no brothels, no narcotics, nothing. In order to gain the full trust of Herze van Ness, you had to do anything he ordered you and yet Rusty was really the first one to refuse him. He knew that Herze and Giles both consider him a threat to Nessar but unfortunately he was also the only one who could eliminate tricky enemies.

The recent project he'd given him was a true test of his loyalty. It happened four months ago, he hadn't done anything for almost a month and was just resting. He was suddenly called into the headquarters where only Giles, Herze and Novita were there, not even Quasim was present that day which was weird because he was Herze's most trusted son. He didn't bother to ask because he knew it would put him into more trouble if he knew more.

'How long have you worked for me?' Herze had asked, smoking on his cigar, like always.

'Two years.' Rusty replied promptly, sitting down.

'You've helped out a lot Russ, but we feel it's not enough.' Giles said, arms crossed. 'You're potential can get you much farther and higher. Why are you just willing to be a killer?'

'I want to live.' Rusty responded. 'If I touch anything that involves living people, there's a chance I'll be pulled into something I don't want to be in, so I only like dealing with people who will be dead.'

'He's a waste Herze, a real waste.' Giles muttered.

'We're really in need of people Russ.' Herze said, leaning forward. 'Are you sure you want to stay put where you are?'

Novita was silent all along, staring at him with her blue eyes. She had tried to persuade him again and again to take other work from Herze, mainly the sex trade that Nessar depended hugely on. Of course Rusty had refused repeatedly, saying he wasn't up to dealing with Nessar's underground business. Novita was not convinced, yet she found that Rusty MacKenzie had a set of principles himself, a set of subtle principles that he stuck up to. Just like her sister.

'This is your chance to soar Russ.' Novita flicked her cigarette. 'This is your _last_ chance.'

Rusty smiled. 'The answer will still be no, I'm not the right person for Nessar, it's likely that I'd screw up everything in the end.'

'Fine.' Herze tossed a file across the desk forcefully. 'You're next targets.'

'Tar_gets?_' Rusty turned over the file cover and found his breath caught in his throat.

'This is your true test, I want to see loyalty in you Russ, or you know what will happen.' Herze's lips curved into a sly smile. 'You can do it right?'

Rusty had later stared at the photos before him at home, wondering if he could really do it. The targets were Yzak Jule, Athrun Zala and Dearka Elthman, his former comrades form the Heliopolis raid. They were all children of the senior councilors and Rusty had a vague suspicion that Nessar had received an order from another antagonistic political figure.

Athrun Zala had been on the top of the list and it just made it more complicated. The files gave a brief description of their current status, including Athrun's deflection, Yzak's situation in the council and Dearka's personal life.

He never thought he'd come face to face with his former comrades again. Rusty MacKenzie was literally dead, he was now Russ Enzia, a person who lived in the dark, in the shadows of other people. How could he kill them? He didn't know how and thought the situation extremely ironic. He was on the verge of giving up when Lain had walked into kitchen. Totally ignoring his presence, she walked to the same old spot where she poured herself water every time she came home.

Right then and there, Rusty had asked her to help him aside from providing him with the necessary weapons. It was the first time he ever asked her to accompany him and he saw the prominent surprise on her face. She had paused before agreeing hesitantly. She didn't really comment on the case though she knew who the targets were, she had, after all, done the intelligence work. Three days later, she came out of her workshop with two cases of guns and one laptop computer, ready to go whenever he was.

He never expected Marni to come with him, it was out of pure coincidence. During the last two years, Madge had asked him to train her son whenever he had the time, which was a lot. His work was mainly by piece and he usually had enough rest before another job was sent to him. Marni had helped in limited cases and he thought it wouldn't mind that he'd help him, he needed it anyway, unlike any other mission. Lain didn't have anything to say about Marni coming with him though she had always disagreed Marni's desire to become an assassin.

'If you really want to be a killer of Nessar, then come, if not, then stay home with your Mom.' Was all Lain had said.

His first target was only Athrun, but it so happened that Dearka was there too so he had decided to make a double attack. Things were easier with Marni around but he still didn't have one hundred percent confidence that things were going to go the way he wanted it to.

His premonitions came true when Marni was shot and caught by Orb authorities. Even with Lain inside the banquet, nothing could be done and three days later, the news of Marni's suicide had hit hard.

He was dead, really dead. He wasn't particularly friends with anyone in Nessar but he had really formed a bond with Marni. Marni was proud to have him as a mentor and somehow it made Rusty feel good. Even Lain had commented on how different he was when he was training Marni which was rare because she usually ignored him whenever she could.

After the news of Marni's suicide had hit him, Rusty had stayed inside the rented apartment in an abandoned area of Orb for two months. He wasn't exactly mourning yet he was no where feeling good and comfortable. Surprisingly enough, Lain had stayed by his side, slept with him, held him close when the accumulating nightmares ate him at night.

Marni's death had thrown everything off guard for Rusty and he had to do some serious planning. Lain had somehow found information on Miriallia Haww, the person who shot Marni and Rusty was surprised that she was Dearka's girl. Out of curiosity, Rusty did a deeper investigation and found out more about Miriallia and Dearka, including their abrupt separation a week after his first assassination attempt on Athrun and Dearka.

After two months of mulling in the rented apartment, Rusty figured he'd have to change the sequence. Athrun would have to wait and he had yet to report to Nessar because his deadline had already passed and Marni was dead. He had returned to Aprilius One and things hadn't gone well. Herze's suspicion was obvious yet Rusty still promised to get the job done, he just needed a little more time. Ignoring Gile's protests, Herze had agreed to give him two more months.

One had passed and nothing had happened, he was truly walking on thin ice and his regressing situation with Lain didn't make things that much better for him. When they returned to PLANT, everything went back to square one. Lain had gone back into that fucking shell of hers, had gone back to ignoring his presence whenever possible. In retaliation, he had started spending nights with Novita again, a habit he had picked up whenever things between him and his wife turned bad. He was pathetic.

When Lain had told him Miriallia Haww was coming to Aprillius One for a press conference, the first thing that ran through Rusty's head was sweet revenge. He wasn't going to kill her though, he didn't intend on doing so because Marni had killed himself. He had the feeling that Miriallia Haww had a nose for trouble and he felt it was his duty to do a little warning.

'You're walking on thin ice Russ Enzia.' Lain had said, finding him. No one could do it but her.

The use of his alias was quiet a sting when it came from her and Rusty couldn't help but retort back.

'And you're walking on this piece of thin ice with me honey.'

He was walking on thin ice, it had already become a life and death situation for him. He was putting his life on the line and it felt more interesting to give the other side a little hint.

Now what? He had given enough hints yet he found it hard to pull the trigger and aim properly. One wrong step and he might fall off this unreliable tightrope and the worst part was, someone else he cared too much for might die with him.

Everything was for her, everything.

Stepping out of the car, Rusty put on his shades to block out the sunlight. The cemetery was empty and very quiet, rows and rows of graves lined up before him, all ZAFT soldiers who had died during the war, him included.

Stopping at his own grave, he couldn't help but shake his head. Turning to the graves marked 'Miguel Ayman' and 'Nicol Armafi', he slowly raised his hand up in a salute.

A sudden rush of envy washed through him. At least they were dead, really dead and for a cause, for war, for PLANT. What was he? A person who's dead to the world, living in the dark. He was basically the living dead, a shadow. He will never live in the light ever again.

Rusty's eyes narrowed behind his shades at the click of a pistol.

'What are you doing here?' Dearka pointed his gun at Rusty's back.

'It's been two years, I've never had a chance to come here.' Rusty said calmly, lowering his hand.

'Because of you, Yzak's in the hospital.' Dearka spat.

'Because of me, Yzak's head's not blown off yet.' Rusty snarled, turning around.

'It's really you.' Athrun said quietly, looking at him in the eye.

'So it is.' Rusty said nonchalantly.

'What happened? Why? Just… why?' Athrun shook his head in confusion. 'It doesn't make sense at all Rusty, you're _alive?_'

'You saw that bullet fly through my head right?' Rusty smirked.

Athrun eyed him. 'It did and even if you didn't die from that bullet, you should have died in the fire.'

'It didn't hit me in the head.' Rusty said quietly. 'And I was saved from the factory by someone else.'

'Someone from Nessar?' Dearka asked promptly.

'Yeah.'

'And this is why you've switched sides?' Athrun glared at him. 'Do you realize what you're putting yourself through Rusty? You're living in the dark!'

'I've lived like this for two years already and I've gotten pretty damn good at it.' Rusty snapped.

'You could have come back Rusty.' Athrun said quietly. 'Why didn't you do that?'

'You really want to know?' Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'I didn't die from that bullet, but it blinded me, satisfied? When I finally got my vision back, the war was over, there was no use returning back to ZAFT, there was no meaning either.'

'This is just an excuse you're giving yourself.' Dearka sneered. 'Even so, it doesn't justify you joining Nessar! You're killing for a paycheck Rusty! You're not killing for justice, for PLANT and not for ZAFT!'

'That's what they teach us at the academy.' Rusty gave himself a bitter laugh and looked away. 'The academy…'

'Rusty – '

'My name is no longer Rusty.' Rusty cut him off curtly, glaring at Athrun. 'Rusty MacKenzie has died and is buried under that grave. I'm Russ Enzia, Nessar's trump card assassin.'

'What are you planning to do?' Athrun asked quietly.

'I'm planning on killing you.' Rusty said promptly, narrowing his eyes. 'I've been ordered to kill you, Dearka and Yzak.'

Dearka widened his eyes. 'Why?'

Rusty shrugged. 'I don't know and I don't want to know. That's my order and I only follow them.'

'What about Miriallia?' Dearka demanded, tightening his grip on the pistol. 'Why did you shoot her.'

'That lover of yours has a nose for trouble Dearka.' Rusty said sharply. 'That was a warning, tell her to stay away from my business.'

'Why are you doing this?' Athrun demanded.

_'You're not stupid, I know that. Just promise to watch over her. She's not brash yet she has the tendency to hurt herself without thinking through things clearly.' _

'There's no pleasing you Athrun Zala.' Smirking, Rusty turned around and took a step forward.

'Rusty!' Athrun narrowed his eyes.

_'Just, try to protect her, okay?'_

'There really is no pleasing you.' Rusty murmured, stopping in his tracks. 'If you really need to know, it's for someone. If I don't continue on with this life and finish the job I've been given, I'll die and so will she. I've sworn to myself that I'll protect her no matter what because she was put into this situation because of me.'

'Who is it?' Athrun asked softly.

Taking a deep breath looked over his shoulder, holding his left hand out at the same time.

'My wife.'

* * *

'Gods Novita, you stink smoking like that.' Quasim exclaimed, entering the lounge.

'Fuck off, you smoke cigars too.' Novita snarled. Crushing a cigarette butt into the ashtray, she lit another one, taking a long shaky drag from it.

'Someone's not in a good mood.' Quasim commented, taking an auto magazine from the rack.

'Get stuffed.' Novita muttered.

'Thinking about Russ again I suppose.' Quasim said absently, flipping through the magazine.

'How unbe_lievably_ annoying can you get?' Novita sneered, pointing her cigarette at him.

'Yeah, I can be quite annoying sis.' Quasim snarled back, closing the magazine shut. 'You do know what shit your doing now right?'

'Get off my case.' Novita waved her hand in the air. 'He's going to be mine sooner or later, you wait and see.'

Quasim snorted. 'Oh I'd like to see that day come Novita.'

'What is it with you and your sarcasm Quasim.' Novita demanded, glaring at him.

Quasim stared at her for a moment before tossing the magazine onto the coffee table. 'You're playing with fire Novita and I'm warning you, Lain is no piece of cake.'

'You think I'll lose to a bitch like her?' Novita exclaimed incredulously. 'You've got to get your eyes checked, she is so way out of Russ' league.'

'You're intimidated by her Novita.' Quasim said flatly. 'That's why you got such a big reaction. Face it, you've lost two years when Father decided to marry Russ to her.'

'It's not over.' Novita declared. 'Do you know how many nights he spends with me? He spent his wedding night with me Quasim, me! That just shows how much he's falling for me. It hasn't changed one bit in the past two years, I'm the only women who can satisfy him, the only one.'

'You have serious security issues girl.' Quasim muttered, crossing his legs.

'Fuck off Quasim.'

'The guy's walking a pretty dangerous piece of thin ice Novita.' Quasim continued. 'It's already been, what? Three months and the three targets are still alive. You know how sensitive his targets are, Father and those old coots are already questioning his loyalty which is pretty questionable by the way.'

'He can take care of it.' Novita muttered. 'Trust me.'

'No one can be trusted around here Novita.' Quasim muttered. 'That's the rule of survival in Nessar.'

'He's the best assassin we've ever had, he's going to finish those three fuckers off.' Novita said in an insistent voice. 'He's a professional.'

'I hope that's the case Novita.' Quasim sighed. 'I sincerely hope that's the case.'

'If you ask me, Lain's loyalty is more of a big question mark.' Novita spat.

Quasim looked up. 'How's that?'

'Please.' Novita rolled her eyes. 'We're talking about Lain van Ness here! Sure, she's done her job well but no one trusts her! Not even Father! She gathers all intelligence for Nessar and she can keep tabs on anything she wants. She hasn't been exactly that cooperative in the past Quasim, it's dangerous, she's dangerous. One move and Nessar might be turned upside down. Who knows what her real intentions are.'

'Agreed, it is pretty dangerous, but I don't think there's anything bad she's doing Novita.' Quasim shook his head. 'She's done a decent job and being a loner is her choice of living.'

'I still think it's dangerous, she can be a nightmare if she wants to.' Novita frowned. 'I don't know what Father thinks of her, I really don't.'

'If he's for you to figure out, then he won't be Herze van Ness, the notorious founder of Nessar.' Quasim snarled. 'If you ask me, he should be aware of the regressing situation inside Nessar because there's a bigger threat.'

Novita narrowed her eyes at him. 'What do you mean?'

Quasim leaned forward. 'You really don't seem that ignorant Novita. You don't know?'

Flicking her cigarette, Novita looked up. 'It's real then? There's a split?'

Quasim shrugged. 'I don't know, but there's this tendency.' Smirking, he stood up. 'But you know, it's going to be sooner or later with this rapid expansion.'

'Where are you going?' Novita asked.

'I need some fresh air.' Quasim said, opening the door. 'I have a big trade going on in a few days and I'm being watched over tightly by LF. I don't want to fuck this whole thing up, it's worth one sixth of Nessar's income.'

'Sex or drugs?' Novita asked absently.

Quasim raised his eyebrows at her. 'Maybe a little bit of both.'

Novita stared at the close door. Grinding the cigarette butt into the ashtray again, she suddenly picked it up and threw it into the wall, watching it scattering into pieces.

_'You have serious security issues Novita.' _

'I do _not._' Novita said through clenched teeth. 'Just wait and see, Lain van Ness is going down, I'll make her go down if it's the last thing I do.'

* * *

Climbing up the fire escape of the building, Rusty entered the apartment through the balcony, his trench coat slightly moist from the light rain outside. Taking it off while sliding the balcony doors shut, he ran his hand through his hair, frowning at the moist feeling. Walking out of the kitchen, he strolled down the hallway and entered the master bedroom at the very end. Hanging his trench coat up, he sat himself on the easy chair and stared into space for a while before he took off his shoes.

Looking out the window, the sun was starting to set. Deciding against a shower, he untied the scarf around his neck and took off his black top. Unzipping his creased trousers while looking at his clock, he slipped them off and tossed the pile of clothes into the hamper. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a jersey, he walked out of the room barefoot and poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen. Gulping down the cool liquid, he opened the fridge door and peered in, seeing that Lain indeed had stocked up.

She needed to do a better job though.

'Does she drink anything besides distilled water?' Rusty muttered, putting the glass down on the counter. Kneeling down, he pulled out the chill drawer from below and saw some vegetables and fruits, mostly apples. He noticed there was also cheese, onions and a carton of milk. A loaf of bread was also sitting in the basket beside the fridge.

'She may be a pain in the ass sometimes but she marks her words.' Rusty murmured to himself, running his hand over the wrapped loaf of bread. This was Lain van Ness, always doing things in the dark, slowly penetrating into people's lives, his life.

Sitting down at the dinner table, he grabbed the cell phone he had tossed carelessly a few moments ago while picking up the air pistol Lain had left behind. Pressing a few buttons on the cell while loading the pistol, he aimed it at the bulls eye that was pinned on the board in front of him. A few seconds later, a voice rang from the other end.

'You were looking for me?' Rusty asked, sitting on the table with half a butt while looking closely at the pistol.

'Yeah.' Quasim said on the other line.

'What is it? You've never called me before.' Rusty said flatly, raising the pistol to his eyelevel.

'You free on Thursday night?' Quasim asked.

'Why?'

'I want to see you in person.'

Rusty snorted. 'Even if I say no, you wouldn't let it go.'

'That's not a friendly speculation.' Quasim murmured.

'It's not surprising, considering the sister you've got.' Rusty said dryly. 'She never takes no for an answer.'

This time, it was Quasim's turn to smirk. 'Twenty-three thirty, Beatrix, you know where it is.'

'I'll be looking forward to what you've got for me.' Rusty said curtly, then cut the connection. Looking down at the phone, he couldn't help but frown. Just the thought of Quasim wanting to see him made him want to frown even deeper.

Taking a deep breath, he dropped the phone on the table and walked out the door. Stopping at the door opposite the kitchen, he placed one hand on it. It had been three days since he'd seen Lain. Right after their conversation in the kitchen after he picked her up from the headquarters, she had locked herself inside her workshop. She didn't even give the explosives to him in person, just put them on the kitchen table, something you didn't find in an ordinary couple's house.

They definitely weren't an ordinary couple despite his desire to be one.

Narrowing his eyes, he pushed open the door and walked around the separator. Placing his hand on the pad, he said his name and the door clicked open. Rusty was still surprised that Lain didn't know he had broken the security codes and entered his data. However, he wasn't that surprised to find Lain leaning face down on the table, her hands beneath her head. Surrounding her were rifle parts while the screensaver was flying through her monitor.

It was obvious that she hadn't slept in days, finishing work her Father had given her, struggling to meet his stupid deadlines.

Sometimes he wondered if he had made the right decision, stepping back into her life. She was in pain, he could see it and feel it.

Stepping forward, he placed one palm on the top of her head and ruffled her hair gently.

_'She's not brash yet she has the tendency to hurt herself without thinking through things clearly.' _

She did hurt herself and it made his heart wrench. She was protecting and hurting herself at the very same time. She would literally build walls around herself, grab a knife and without hesitation, grind it right into her own flesh.

Every time…

Taking the knit sweater off the back of her chair, Rusty draped it across Lain's shoulders. Stirring, she turned her face sideways. For a moment, he thought she'd open her fierce amber eyes.

Reaching out one hand, he barely brushed it over her cheek. Narrowing his clear blue eyes, he looked up at the monitor, the screensaver gone because Lain had given the mouse a move by accident.

'You should be more careful Lain.' Rusty whispered, looking down at her again. 'You'll get in trouble if anyone sees this data.'

Leaning over her, he flipped the monitor off. Looking down at the picture frame that was lied face down beside Lain, he picked it up and glanced at it. Taking a deep breath, he took the picture out and placed the blank frame right in front of her face so that when she opened her eyes, it would be the first thing she saw. Giving her one more look, he dimmed the lights and stepped out of the cold workshop, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

**End of Chapter 7  
**_Next Update: 19th September, 2005_


	9. Chapter 8

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 8**

She wasn't exactly stupid; it's just that she'd forget how impressive her husband was at times. She did have to give credit to him for being able to break the codes on her door and enter his own data so she wouldn't find out, but she just couldn't help it.

She was pissed and she hated this feeling.

Slamming the door shut, Lain marched down the hallway and pushed open the door to their bedroom. At the loud noise, Rusty looked up from the magazine he was flipping through and stared at his wife. He had just taken a shower and was only wearing boxers and a black tank top. A towel draped around his neck, he had seated himself comfortably against the headboard, his legs crossed at his ankles.

'Yeah?' Rusty raised his eyebrows as if expecting her. Was she _that _predictable?

'Give it back.' Lain said through clenched teeth.

'Give what back?' Rusty asked innocently, tossing the magazine aside.

'That photograph.' Lain seethed, feeling the heat rushing into her head. 'Give it back.'

'You mean this?' Rusty reached out one hand and opened the drawer of the nightstand, taking the yellowing photo out slowly.

'Give it back to me.' Lain said quietly, narrowing her amber eyes slightly.

'I'm curious.' Rusty looked down at it. 'Who is this woman? I've been down there a few times but I've never seen this photo before.'

'It's not of your concern, give it back.' Lain said in a merely controlled voice.

Rusty looked at her with a smirk. 'What if I don't?'

'I told you to give it _back!_' Lain suddenly shouted. Jumping onto the bed, she grabbed Rusty's arm.

Unfazed, Rusty pulled his arm back and they both fell off the bed from the force. Pinning her down on the carpeted floor, Rusty looked down at Lain who was glaring up at him, her nails digging into his wrist.

'It's your Mother isn't it?' Rusty said in a low voice, shooting a glance at the ring dangling from the silver chain. 'It's you're Mother Lacia Peragrine.'

'She's not my Mother so fuck off!' Lain hissed. Letting go of Rusty's wrist, she slapped him in the face and pushed him away, snatching the photo away.

'What is _wrong_ with you Lain van Ness?' Rusty suddenly bawled before she got to the door. Standing up, he held his hand against his cheek, glaring at her back. 'You think putting yourself in a shit like this is going to make things _better?_ Why can't you just admit it to yourself for a change? Huh? Why can't you just walk out of that fucking shell of yours and be a little bit honest to _me_ for a change? I'm your husband!'

'We're married for a very solid and realistic reason.' Lain said in a low voice.

'Yeah, I almost forgot.' Rusty spat. 'It's a mutual benefit right? For you, for me _and_ for Nessar.'

'Yes!' Lain turned around, crushing the photo in her palm.

'Maybe I did make the wrong decision.' Rusty said quietly.

'You did.' Lain said quietly.

'Why can't you just give me some emotion for a change?' Rusty asked in an almost pleading voice. 'You think I_ want_ to be manipulated like this? You think I _like_ killing for a paycheck? You think I want to shoot my own former comrades who have been with me through the most difficult times in ZAFT? You know it Lain, you know I'm doing all this for you.'

Lain looked away, gritting her teeth. 'I didn't ask you to do all this for me Rusty.'

'Yeah.' Rusty nodded bitterly, crossing his arms. 'You're right, you didn't ask me to do this, didn't ask me to look after you, didn't ask me to protect you, didn't ask me to sleep with you and didn't ask me to fall in love with you. But you know what? I didn't ask you to save my fucking life in the first place!'

Racking his spiky red hair with both hands violently, he sat down on the bed, training his eyes on the floor.

'It's been two and half years Lain.' Rusty said in a controlled voice. 'Don't tell you don't feel a damn thing for me because I see it in your eyes when I come back in the morning with Novita's stink on me.'

'She pleases you better.' Lain muttered.

'You think I _like_ sleeping in her bed?' Rusty asked sarcastically, glaring up at Lain.

'I don't care if you like it or not!' Lain countered, glaring back at him with trembling eyes. 'I don't care if you sleep with all the girls in the world.'

Rusty looked at her silently. 'Madge was right, you do have a tendency to hurt yourself.'

'I do.' Lain admitted. 'It's not the best thing in the world but it keeps me alive.'

'You can't do it alone.' Rusty suddenly said, standing up. 'You're walking on a piece of_ very_ thin ice.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Lain said softly, looking away.

'You may be a good actor in front of other people but I can see right through you, read you like a piece of paper.' Rusty narrowed his eyes. 'You want your Father dead, and you want Nessar to die with him.'

Lain gritted her teeth.

Rusty softened his eyes. 'Can't you be honest with me for once? I can easily find out what's going on with you but I don't like this feeling. If you had been honest with me from the very beginning then our relationship will be a little bit more normal then now.'

'You're right.' Lain said bitterly. 'It's all my fault, I shouldn't have saved you to begin with.'

Exhaling loudly, Rusty pulled at his hair. 'You do know Novita's keeping tabs on you? One false step and you're going to fall and lose your life.'

'Mind your own business Rusty.' Lain murmured. 'You still have those three friends of yours to kill.'

'Even if I _do_ kill them, you're not going to get your way.' Rusty said firmly. 'I know who wants them dead. You know Herze van Ness is smarter than this.'

'Even so, I have my ways.' Lain whispered. They looked at each other silently until the ring of a cell phone cut through the tense air. Reaching into her pocket, she took out her cell phone, frowning at the number on the cover.

'Lain.' It was Daire.

'Yeah?' Lain turned around.

Rusty glared at her back, his clear blue eyes turning into a dangerous shade of gray.

'I won't be here tonight.' Lain said shortly, snapping her phone shut.

'Since when did you tell me your whereabouts?' Rusty sneered sarcastically.

'You're right.' Sticking her phone back into her pocket, she grabbed her jacket from the coat hanger. Stopping at the door, she looked over her shoulder briefly. 'I take that you won't be around tomorrow night either, so good night.'

He had a sudden urge, an urge to kill her.

* * *

'Here.'

Yzak looked up and saw Dearka set down a cup of coffee. 'It's not decaf right?'

'God no.' Dearka sat down and crossed his legs. 'You know how you can get when you don't have strong caffeine running through your veins in the morning.'

'Still the coffee addict?' Athrun came out of the bathroom.

Yzak yawned, leaning his head back on the sofa. 'This addict thing is getting worse, I tell you. I can't think straight without two cups of strong coffee every morning.'

'You're already bad when you drain strong coffee down your lungs.' Athrun said dryly, eyeing Yzak. 'I cannot imagine what you'd turn out to be without drinking any coffee, even decaf.'

'Shut up.' Yzak muttered, looking over his shoulder at the scenery outside. 'This place looks like a dump Elthman, don't you have the missus cleaning it up for you?'

'What's with the mood Jule?' Dearka asked dryly while avoiding the question, taking a sip from his coffee.

'Isn't he always in a bad mood?' Athrun sneered, tearing open a packet of brown sugar. 'I don't think the patched up arm has anything to do with aggravating it anymore.'

'If you two were in my shoes, you wouldn't be in a good mood.' Yzak hissed. 'You have _no_ idea.'

'So it's not just about Rusty?' Athrun tried, raising his eyebrows at Dearka when Yzak didn't respond at all.

'Then it must be the council.' Dearka concluded, shrugging. 'Hasn't it always been like this Yzak? I thought you've learnt to live with it already.'

'You guys won't understand.' Yzak muttered, reaching for his mug.

'You think anyone would suspect.' Dearka wondered.

'Suspect what?' Yzak asked absently, before draining down the coffee like water.

'Athrun.' Dearka said. 'There's no say to who's keeping tabs on you, would anyone wonder the relationship between Yzak Jule and Alex Dino.'

'Even if he came as Athrun Zala, it wouldn't matter.' Yzak said. 'He's Orb's representative.'

'And you say you're in politics.' Athrun muttered.

'Okay okay.' Yzak waved his hand in the air. 'I know it may cause trouble but there is no other choice. The headquarters was practically torn apart by Rusty and we can't talk in my office. I'm too tired, give my brain a break. At least we're not at my apartment.'

'Where's you're other brain by the way?' Dearka asked, looking around.

Athrun looked at him weirdly. 'Other brain?'

Dearka nodded. 'His work wife, Shiho. What did you do, ditch her?' He yelped as a cushion came flying his way.

'She is_ not _my work wife.' Yzak hissed, holding his fist up. 'And I did _not_ ditch her.'

'Then where is she? She should be here if we're talking about, you know.' Dearka shrugged.

'How should I know, I'm not her boyfriend.' Yzak muttered. 'She's just my subordinate, what she does in her own free time is beyond me.'

Dearka shook his head. 'I wonder what you asked me a few days ago?'

'What?' Athrun asked interestingly.

'He asked – hey!' Dearka dodged another flying cushion.

'Get off my case!' Yzak hissed in a warning tone, glaring at Dearka.

'Sheesh.' Dearka rolled his eyes. 'You're never going to get a girl with an attitude like that.'

'Yeah, because having a girl to fuck is like the most important thing in a guy's life.' Yzak retorted.

'I think so.' Dearka turned to Athrun. 'What do you think?'

Athrun tried to contain his laughter. 'I wouldn't say it's _the_ most important thing, but it's _one_ of the most important things.'

'For God's sake!' Yzak threw his hands up in the air. 'You guys are all being eaten up by girls.'

'Which isn't a bad thing.' Dearka said casually. 'You pal, on the other hand, need to do some serious self evaluation or you won't get a girl in a million years, Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor.'

Yzak just growled in response.

Athrun looked down at his mug. 'It would have made big money to bet that Rusty'd be the first one to marry.'

Both Yzak and Dearka looked at him silently.

'He's really _married_?' Yzak asked quietly.

'That's what he said when we saw him the other day.' Dearka replied. 'He did have a ring on his left hand.'

'He said he was doing all this for his wife.' Athrun said. 'There's a big chance this wife of his is a part of Nessar.'

'A very important part of Nessar.' Dearka nodded his head at the files spread out in front of them. 'The first being Novita van Ness.'

'You got this information from LF?' Athrun asked, picking up the file.

Dearka nodded deeply. 'I'm not too familiar with their work since, you know, they have nothing to do with military defense. However, I know a guy from LF and they say they're just one huge big piece of moving shit.'

'Moving shit?' Yzak raised his eyebrows.

'Oh yeah.' Dearka nodded. 'You know we've followed them in the past because of an intelligence leak and intelligence trade is just one tiny part of Nessar's business.'

'How could I forget?' Yzak muttered. 'Klueze's data on the NJC was from Nessar.'

'Do they know who's in charge of the intelligence trade?' Athrun asked.

Dearka shook his head. 'That's the weird part, but there may be a chance Rusty has something to do with this person or this group.'

Athrun nodded in agreement. 'He has the most precise information on his target, including the detailed blueprint of the headquarters. I have a suspicion that this person also inserted Rusty's data into ZAFT's security system so he could get into the building itself.'

'If this person could get information on the NJC then there's basically nothing he _can't_ break into.' Yzak muttered.

'You really think Rusty's wife's Novita van Ness?' Athrun's eyebrows furrowed.

'Why?' Yzak leaned forward.

'She's not your average kind of women, person to say the least.' Athrun said.

'Neither is Rusty.' Dearka muttered.

'She's got a notorious background.' Athrun continued. 'I've heard of her, you know how big Nessar is, they have business even in Orb.'

Yzak raised his eyebrows. 'Really?'

Athrun nodded. 'Novita van Ness doesn't fall for one man. She's the daughter of Herze van Ness and is_ fierce_. She'll do anything to get her way and she's got a pretty impressive background, especially with the men.'

'You mean gigolos.' Dearka murmured.

'If Rusty's wife is her, I'd be disappointed, really.' Athrun shook his head. 'I don't think she'll need any protection whatso_ever_.'

'I'm rather interested in the bullets found in Miriallia's body earlier.' Yzak said, leaning back. 'I've gone through the reports from Firearms Forensics and they say the bullet had been severely altered. They estimate a series of alternations in the rifle itself, including the estimated range. From Shiho's report, the rifle is basically customized.'

'I'm not surprised, Rusty's a pro at altering sniper rifles.' Dearka said.

'I guess…' Yzak's voice trailed as he looked up at the ceiling.

'What does Shiho have?' Dearka asked.

'She's got something.' Yzak murmured, narrowing his eyes. 'I just don't know what it is yet.'

Dearka frowned. 'What are you talking about, how could she – ' he stopped at the ring of his cell phone. Taking it out of his jacket, he stood up and walked away, holding his hand up briefly in apology.

'It's got to be the missus again.' Yzak muttered. 'I still don't know if I've done the right thing, giving him that two week off.'

'Believe me, you did the right thing.' Athrun said, smirking. 'At least he's not dragging himself like an idiot for a change.'

'It's not exactly easy to get him moving when he's around his girlfriend either.' Yzak said dryly. 'You okay over there Dearka? Is it the missus?'

They both watched as Dearka snapped his phone shut. Turning, they shot each other a glance at Dearka's wavering amethyst eyes.

'What's going on?' Athrun asked carefully.

'Miriallia's missing.'

* * *

'Who are you looking for hottie?' She leaned onto Rusty and traced one manicured figure across his cheek. 'I've never seen you before, you're new around here?'

'Yeah.' Rusty smirked down at the women and grabbed her wrist. 'I'm here to see your boss.'

'What's your name then?' She whispered into his ear. 'You know he doesn't see just anyone.'

'Enzia.' Rusty said, looking down at her. Nodding, she wrapped her arm around his and pulled him across the crowded dance floor of Beatrix, the largest nightclub in town run by Quasim van Ness. He followed the women up three flights of steel stairs and walked down the hallway until they reached a steel door. Pushing it open, she led him in where Quasim was already sitting there with two of sidekicks Klaus and Daryl, surrounded by what they'd call themselves waitresses, but rather more like hookers.

'Russ.' Quasim greeted with a smirk, puffing on a cigar.

'Quasim.' Rusty couldn't help but frown at the smell of smoke as he sat down.

'Want a puff?' Quasim asked, holding out a cigar. 'It's a rare type I got from Earth.'

'No thank you.' Rusty held his hand out. 'I don't smoke.'

'You _don't_ smoke? You've got to be kidding me.' Daryl sneered, tapping his cigarette over the ashtray.

'Don't force him.' Quasim said casually. 'Miquela, get him a scotch in rocks with a twist.'

'Yes sir.' The girl who led Rusty in purred.

'Can't smoke because of that bullet shot a few years ago?' Quasim asked, wrapping one arm around the girl sitting beside him.

Rusty shrugged. 'You can say that.'

Quasim narrowed his eyes. 'Really?'

Shrugging, Rusty thanked Miquela when she handed him the glass. Without a second thought, he drained it down. 'What did you want to see me for? We really don't have that much in common. You're practically the second boss of Nessar and I'm just an anonymous assassin.'

'You have more credit that you claim to have Rusty.' Quasim smirked. 'You do know you're kills make my path so much smoother.'

'Really?' Rusty crossed his arms and leaned back into the leather sofa. 'That I did not know.'

'You really have no idea who you're killing for? _Why_ you're killing?' Quasim asked, raising his eyebrows.

Rusty shook his head.

'Not even Yzak Jule, Athrun Zala and Dearka Elthman?' Quasim sneered.

Rusty just smiled. 'No.'

'You really don't seem that innocent Russ.' Quasim shook his head. 'You really don't.'

'What do you really want me here for?' Rusty asked.

Turning, Quasim shot a glance at Klaus and Dyrl. Nodding, they led the protesting girls out of the room. When the door closed behind them again, the room was in relative silence except for the faint blaring of music outside on the dance floor.

'I'm just going to be honest with you Russ.' Quasim sighed, grinding his cigar butt into the ashtray. 'Nessar is breaking down.'

'I've got a vague idea.' Rusty said quietly. 'I get information from Lain.'

'You do?' Quasim raised his eyebrows. 'And what does she know?'

Rusty shrugged. 'A little of this, a little of that, nothing important I guess. I don't ask too many questions.'

'Right.' Quasim responded after a few moment of silence. 'The struggle between my Father and Giles' going to surface sooner or later and Nessar's going to be in very big shit by then. My Father is trying to expand is power into politics.' He paused and looked at Rusty, who returned the stare with raised eyebrows. 'That's why you've been ordered to kill the Jule, Zala and Elthman.'

'It's a political bargain, isn't it.' Rusty smirked. 'Typical, but why are you telling _me_ all this?'

'I know you're more or less neutral Russ.' Quasim said. 'But I want you to take a side, my Father or Giles. I know you're hesitating.'

Rusty narrowed his eyes. 'Hesitating what?'

'To kill your three comrades.' Quasim said in a low voice, smiling. 'I'm giving you a choice here.'

Rusty's lips turned into a sly smile. 'You're on Giles side aren't you? You want to betray your Father.'

Quasim shrugged and sat back. 'We're talking about money and power here. Herze van Ness will lose it sooner or later, provided that he fails to meet the terms with Lamar Wyleed.'

'So you're saying if I don't kill the three, Herze's going to be in deep shit?'

Quasim smiled curtly. 'Most likely.' He leaned forward. 'You don't have much to lose Russ. You've been sent this mission for three months, it's obvious you're hesitating, you don't want to kill them. If you fail this mission, it's a mutual benefit and you may eventually be the biggest winner.'

'It is a very attractive bargain.' Rusty smirked. 'But do you really think you can trust a person like me? A person who married you're precious little sister and went on fucking with the sister you hate? You haven't exactly been my friend in the past two and a half years.'

'Two different cases.' Quasim said, raising his fingers in the air. 'The practical side of things usually wins. I _want_ you on my side.'

'Aren't you being a little too honest here?' Rusty asked, pouring himself more wine.

'With you're wit, you'll do great things.' Quasim said in a low voice.

'And you think I'm not a threat?' Rusty countered, raising the glass to his lips.

'Oh, I think everyone's a threat.' Quasim sneered. 'But you run a risk in order to reap the maximum benefit. If you can help talk Lain into taking sides too…'

'She'll be of more use to you Quasim.' Rusty muttered, draining down the wine. 'I'll think about it.'

Quasim looked at him silently, then nodded. 'Fair enough.' Turning, he pressed a button on the side of the couch. 'I need to go somewhere but my car just broke down on the way.'

'Accident? Or…' Rusty's voice trailed, narrowing his eyes.

'I don't know, but I need a ride, you mind?' Quasim smiled, raising his eyebrows.

Rusty shrugged, eyeing him. 'Why not? But my car's basically a two seater with a dog seat, there's no room for your two sidekicks.'

'It doesn't matter, I wasn't going to take them anyway.' Quasim said standing up.

'Where do you want to go?' Rusty asked as they walked across the clubhouse's car park.

'My villa.' Quasim replied. 'I've got an appointment there.'

'I've never heard of your villa.' Rusty said lightly, unlocking his car.

'There's a lot of things you don't know about me Russ.' Was all Quasim said as he climbed into the car.

'Where are we going?' Rusty asked, gunning the engine.

'Take Highway 9 first.' Quasim replied. 'Mind if I take a puff.'

'Uh, sure, just make sure you open the window wide open.' Rusty said, steering out of the parking lot.

'Can you _be_ more healthy?' Quasim muttered. 'Just like your wife, no smoking, no drinking, just water.'

Rusty snorted. 'You should see how empty our fridge is.'

Quasim eyed Rusty sideways while lighting his cigar. 'Is your marriage life as I predicted?'

'More or less the same.' Rusty said quietly. Unable to stand the smoke, he opened the hood of his convertible at a traffic light. 'I've got a question.'

'Shoot.' Quasim said shortly, puffing smoke out of mouth.

'Who's Lain's Mother?' Rusty asked.

Quasim took his cigar out of his mouth and hung it over the door. 'You mean you don't know?'

'What? It's a big secret?' Rusty asked curtly.

Quasim shrugged. 'Not exactly a big secret, just… it's not a good story and it put shame and disgrace to my Father, that's why she's been isolated by him. I don't know the details, just that her Mother used to be the whore of Nessar. We're from different Mom's by the way.'

'That's obvious.' Rusty muttered, hitting the highway, one hand on the steering wheel.

'Why? You're interested?' Quasim turned to Rusty.

Rusty shook his head. 'I was just a little curious, I've heard Marni talk about his aunt before.'

Quasim nodded. 'It should be Lacia's death day by the way, did Lain mention her at all? But I guess she won't. She hates her Mother.'

'I can see that.' Rusty muttered.

The rest of the ride was in silence while Rusty's mind kept jumbling with thoughts, from Lain to what Quasim had in mind. It was obvious that something was going on but Quasim was a smart person. The car problem was just an excuse, he wanted to pull him into something.

_Damn it._ Rusty cursed mentally as he pulled up against a small cottage that situated in the center of a ruined site, most probably from war.

'Thanks Russ.' Quasim smiled, stepping out of the car. Rusty narrowed his eyes as two sets of headlights shined in their direction. It was Klause and Daryl.

'Shit.' Rusty muttered under his breath.

'Right on time.' Quasim smirked, giving his two sidekicks a nod. Just then, a limo drove in slowly, parking itself right beside Rusty's car. The car door opened and an average height man with a receding hairline and a plump figure stepped out, wearing a black suit.

'Quasim.' He greeted, taking off his shades while his sidekick slammed the door shut for him. 'It's been some time hasn't it?'

'Of course Hassan.' Quasim smiled, shaking his hand. 'What do we got here?'

'Good stuff of course.' Hassan motioned for his sidekick to open the briefcase. 'You know I won't fuck it when we talk about drugs.'

'Exactly.' Quasim took the wrapped cigar from Hassan and handed it to Klause.

Frowning, Rusty watched as Klause rip the plastic apart and untwist the cigar head, pouring out the powder on the roof of his car.

'Who's this guy?' Hassan asked, looking at Rusty interestingly. 'Never seen him before.'

'He's our ace assassin.' Quasim introduced, shooting a glance at Rusty. 'Remember Karim Pesach?'

'Of course.' Hassan sneered. 'That fucker kept getting in my way so I paid Nessar to kill him.'

'Well, he's the one who finally got the job done in twenty four hours.' Quasim said.

Hassan raised his eyebrows. 'Really? You? It took Nessar three months to get that fucker killed! What's your name?'

'Enzia.' Rusty said curtly, glaring at him. 'Russ Enzia.'

'He's my Father's son-in-law.' Quasim added. 'My brother-in-law you can say.'

'Really?' Hassan took a step forward. 'How old are you son?'

'Twenty.' Rusty replied, trying to refrain from turning his head away at the man's disgusting breath. This guy had a serious smell problem.

'Nessar really has a lot of people, no wonder it's so big now.' Hassan laughed loudly. 'Herze really is the man.'

'How is it Klaus?' Quasim asked, looking over his shoulder.

Looking up, he smirked and raised a thumb up, sniffing. 'AA+'

A smile slowly spreading across his face, Quasim turned and held out his hand. 'We're great partners aren't we?'

'Of course.' Hassan shook his hand hard.

'Daryl.' Quasim called. Nodding, he hauled a briefcase up and opened it. Flipping open his cell, Quasim dialed a number quickly. 'Jevo.'

Rusty narrowed his eyes as Quasim gave orders to complete the transaction. Quasim was about to hand over the briefcase of cash to Hassan when another set of headlights shone from behind them, a gunshot following.

'What the hell is this?' Hassan demanded, his hands on his ears. 'It's not LF is it?'

'No.' Quasim narrowed his eyes.

'You really should be a little more careful bro.' Novita stepped out of the shadows with her arms crossed, a gun dangling from her fingers. Looking over her shoulder, she motioned for Vail. Rusty widened his eyes as he hauled a struggling girl out, a camera hung from her neck.

'Let go of me!' She screamed.

'Shut up bitch!' Vail shouted, throwing her onto the rough floor violently, the lens of her camera breaking.

'Who the hell is this?' Hassan demanded.

'I saw her snooping around this place.' Novita raised her eyebrows at Quasim. 'How can you be so careless?'

'It's nothing, we can complete the transaction now.' Quasim growled, turning to Hassan.

'Are you sure?' Hassan asked uncertainly, eyeing the girl.

'Yes.'

'I trust you Quasim.' Hassan took the briefcase from him.

Taking a deep breath, Quasim glared down at Novita who was smirking. Kneeling on the ground, the girl looked around with trembling turquoise eyes until they set sight on Rusty.

Widening his eyes, Rusty looked away abruptly, cursing.

It was Miriallia Haww.

**End of Chapter 8  
**_Next Update: 25th September, 2005_

**A/N:** Reviewing will be nice.


	10. Chapter 9

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 9**

Lain felt nauseous at the sight of the huge birthday cake sitting in the middle the shiny dining table in front of her, the candles lit. At the end of the table, Herze was smiling at her with his legs crossed.

'Sit.' He invited.

'Miss Lain.' Daire, who had escorted her into the room, pulled the chair at the other end of the long dining table out for her. 'Please.'

Eyeing Daire briefly, she didn't miss the sneer on his face as he retreated into the darkness, closing the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the chair slowly, putting both hands on her lap.

'I can't say I wasn't surprised that you wanted to see me.' She said in a low voice, looking down the table. 'What do you want me here for Father.'

'You forgot?' Herze raised his eyebrows and nodded at the cake in the middle. 'It's you're birthday today Lain, you're twentieth birthday.'

'So it is.' Lain said slowly, narrowing her amber eyes. 'What do you want, you never cared about my life, let alone my age.'

'I'm not that heartless Lain.' Snapping his fingers, a few servants came out from the door behind him and moved the cake towards her.

'Make a wish.' Herze smiled.

Looking at him expressionlessly, she leaned forward and blew the candles out in one breath, wanting to end this meeting as soon as possible. 'Satisfied?'

'Not yet.' Herze nodded at the servant beside her. Taking out a velvet box with his gloved hands, he opened it, revealing a lovely diamond shaped ruby pendent hung from a platinum gold chain. 'My twentieth birthday present to you Lain. Put it on for her.'

Closing her eyes, she counted to ten, trying to regain her patience as the servant put it around her neck. When she opened her eyes again, she smiled down at her Father. 'Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?'

'Twenty years old.' Herze picked up the glass of red wine and took a sip. 'I can't believe Lacia gave me a twenty year old daughter, a very helpful daughter to say the least.' He looked down at the cup. 'Isn't it ironic that she gave birth to you on her birthday and died on that very same day, exactly ten years later.'

'It is.' Lain muttered. 'But I doubt the coincidence.'

'You've always been my best helper around here Lain.' Herze looked up. 'Without your help in the past eight years, I would not have expanded Nessar so quickly. Especially Russ' addition. I do admit that I was a bit worried when Daire told me you hid a man, a ZAFT soldier in your apartment three years ago. But time proved that you made a very right decision.'

'He won't be around forever.' Lain said curtly.

'And why is that?' Herze narrowed his eyes. 'Are you saying he's going to betray me?'

'I didn't say anything of the sort.' Lain responded. 'You're the creator of Nessar, you should be clear whether or not the people around you are loyal and you can't count on that loyalty to last forever.'

'Are you saying someone's loyalty is fazing out around here?' Herze asked.

Lain looked at him in the eye. 'You should be clear of the situation.'

Herze sighed. 'I am clear Lain. I know Nessar is facing a crisis, a threat of breaking down. I need to do something. What should I do? What should I _do?_'

'I only provide the intelligence, I don't provide solutions.' Lain paused. 'Father.'

'But I want your opinion Lain.' Herze smiled. 'I've never heard of your opinions Lain, and frankly, Novita's ideas are getting a little old. Besides, you may just be the only one I can trust now.'

'You won't want to trust me.' Lain murmured. 'You should trust anyone but me.'

'You're right.' Herze agreed. 'But if you were in my position, what would you do Lain? What would you do to prevent the breakdown of Nessar?'

Lain looked down, the ruby glittering under the dim light of the room. Below it, she could clearly see her wedding ring hanging from the silver chain, the words 'Rusty MacKenzie' facing her.

'I'll kill all traitors, including those who are my family.' Lain said slowly, looking up, her amber orbs trained on her Father. 'Only those loyal can survive.'

Herze suddenly laughed and clapped his hands in the air. 'You're more brutal than Quasim_ or _Novita, that I did not see Lain.'

'Then you should learn more about it in the future.' Was all Lain said in response.

Leaning forward, Herze looked at her in the eye. 'And does this traitor include your husband, my trump card assassin?'

Lain paused before giving him a small smile. 'No.'

Herze raised his eyebrows. 'No?'

Lain shook her head and stood up. 'No, but you might want to look around, you might find people you'd like to kill in our complicated family tree.' Bowing, she stepped out of her chair. 'Good bye Father.' With that, she turned and left soundlessly.

'What do we do now?' Daire asked, stepping in.

Herze took a deep breath before looking up at the ceiling. 'She may not be a person I can trust, but her information is correct, just not complete.'

'What should we do then?' Daire asked.

'We wait.' Herze looked down at the wine glass. Squeezing the glass hard, it shattered in his hands, red wine dripping down his fingers. He had to admit that Lain's ideas were bold and daring, if not old.

* * *

'Sorry, orders from our boss, no one sees her.'

Rusty narrowed his eyes at the man standing in front of the door to the guestroom of Quasim's cottage that extended downwards.

'Just a while?' Rusty smiled. 'I want to talk to her.'

'No.'

'Let him be.' Quasim walked up to them with Daryl behind him. 'He's with us, it's okay, let him go in.'

'Fine.' He unlocked the key and stepped aside.

'You take as much as you want Russ.' Quasim gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Giving a curt nod, he opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him quietly.

'Are you sure?' Daryl asked, looking at Quasim. 'You think we can really trust Enzia?'

'Even if we can't trust him, it'll be okay.' Quasim smirked. 'The room's under surveillance.'

Lowering his eyebrows at the sudden darkness, Rusty looked around, his eyes adjusting to the poor light that only shown from the window at the far end of the big room. Taking a step forward, he saw Miriallia sitting at the side of the bed, the moonlight shining on her foot. Looking up, she stared up at him silently.

'I remember you.' Miriallia said quietly, glaring at him. 'You're that male nurse from the hospital, the one who threatened me. You're Rusty MacKenzie, you used to be teammates with Dearka and Athrun.'

'I warned you.' Rusty said quietly, narrowing his clear blue eyes. 'I told you to keep to your own business.'

'Who do you want to kill?' Miriallia asked, standing up. 'You said it was just a warning shot, you didn't want to kill me, that's what Dearka told me.'

'Dearka really tells you a lot.' Rusty muttered. 'You really want to know?'

Miriallia gave him a hard look

Sighing, Rusty looked away. 'I want to kill your boyfriend, his best friend and the guy who killed your old boyfriend.'

Miriallia widened her eyes. 'Why?'

'Why?' Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'You do know what I am, don't you Miss Haww? I'm an assassin, an assassin working for an underground society. I don't care about the reason, I just care about my order and it's to kill the three of them.'

'Even if they're your teammates?' Miriallia countered.

'I'm no longer the MacKenzie from ZAFT.' Rusty said in a low voice. 'I'm Russ Enzia, the ace assassin of Nessar.'

'How can you _do_ that?' Miriallia cried, taking a step forward. 'Can you really do it? Can you really kill them? _Kill _them?'

Rusty looked at Miriallia silently, noting the trembling in her bright blue orbs.

'I can, and I will.' He finally said.

Gulping, Miriallia took a step back. 'Well, then I can tell you they're _not_ going to die because of you, _all_ three of them.'

'We'll see.' Was all Rusty said.

'What are they going to do with me?' Miriallia asked quietly, sitting down on the bed.

'I don't know.' Rusty looked away. 'I have no idea how they work.'

'What do you mean? You work for them.' Miriallia spat.

'I don't know anything about the organization's operation.' Rusty snapped. 'All I do is kill on order. But from what I've heard…' Rusty paused. 'They'll either kill you or send you to one of their brothels.'

'A brothel…' Nodding her head deeply, Miriallia tried to hold back the tears that had welled up in her eyes and buried her head into her lap. 'Just go.'

Giving her one more look, Rusty turned and opened the door soundlessly, stepping out of the dark room into the bright hall.

'Finished?' Daryl asked, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

Shooting him a glance, Rusty walked past him silently, pulling his trench coat closer.

'My boss left.' Daryl said before he reached the door. 'He wants me to remind you of the thing he asked. You'll know what it is.'

Rusty looked over his shoulder briefly. 'Of course.' Returning Daryl's smirk, he turned and walked out of the exquisite villa. Reaching his car, he stared down at the driver's seat for a while. Sighing, he leaned down and pressed a button, watching as the roof of his convertible started to rise. When it closed completely, he put one hand on the door and at the same time, saw another perfectly manicured hand on top of his.

'It's been sometime honey, where've you been?' Novita's voice purred from behind him. Turning him around, she fingered the collar of his trench coat, pushing him against the car. 'Missed me?'

Pausing, Rusty smiled down at Novita. 'How could I not miss you?'

'Have you been that busy?' Novita slurred, leaning into him. 'You haven't come over in like a week!'

'You know.' Rusty shrugged and wrapped one arm around Novita's slim waist, trying to refrain from wrinkling his nose at the smoke. 'I still have that big "project" on hand that I haven't finished yet and I don't have much time.'

Novita narrowed her eyes. 'You don't have much time or you don't want to do it?'

Rusty looked down at her innocently. 'What do you mean honey?'

Taking a drag from her long slim cigarette, she breathed out the smoke into Rusty's face. 'You know what I mean sweetie, that's why Quasim wanted to see you at Beatrix. He wants you to take his side and drop out on the assassination order my Father gave you.'

Sighing, Rusty leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. 'Are you saying you don't trust me Novita?'

'I trust you.' Novita assured. 'But not all people around Nessar trust you. I'm sorry but you can't blame me for wondering, my Father told me to keep an eye on everyone, and that includes you.' She narrowed her eyes. 'What did Quasim say to you tonight?'

'More or less what you just said.' Rusty replied casually. 'He wants me to take a side and not stay neutral.' He paused for a few seconds. 'He also wants me to persuade Lain to… you know.'

'Bitch.' Novita spat. 'Stay with me tonight?'

'Sorry, but I can't.' Rusty said in an apologetic voice.

'Why not?' Novita exclaimed, grabbing him by the collar, dropping the cigarette onto the floor.

'I have something to do.' Rusty coaxed. 'Something to do with the big project your Father gave me.'

Novita pouted. 'Fine.'

'Be good, okay?' Rusty gave her a quick kiss on the lips. 'I'll call you when I have time.'

Nodding like a little girl, Novita pulled Rusty's face down in a deep kiss. At the corner of his eye, Rusty saw something flash in the dark.

'Call me.' Novita whispered against his lips. Nodding, Rusty smiled and climbed into his car. In the rear mirror, he caught Novita giving him a smooch.

'What's so great about him sis?' Quasim stepped out of the shadow as Rusty's car disappeared down the road.

'He's gentle, caring, handsome and has this quality no other man I've met has.' Novita replied promptly, lighting another cigarette. 'He's the man of my dreams, this thought has not changed over the past two years. From the day I saw him in that bitch's apartment, I fell in love with him.'

'Be nice Novita.' Quasim smirked.

'The word "nice" does not exist in my dictionary Quasim.' Novita said in a low voice, turning around. 'You better watch out Quasim, one wrong step and you're going to fall hard, you_ and_ Giles. Thank me for catching that bitch snooping around.'

'Thank you.' Quasim said promptly. 'For the warning too by the way.'

Blowing smoke out of her mouth, she tapped her cigarette. 'You're welcome.'

'Watch out sis.' Quasim smirked, watching as Novita walked away. 'Russ Enzia's one fucking heartbreaker.'

* * *

Stepping into the quiet apartment, Rusty glanced at the digital clock that hung on the wall, noting that it was already two in the morning. Unbuttoning his trench coat, he exhaled tiredly and flipped on the lights of the hallway. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Lain sitting on the wooden floor with her knees pulled to her chest, her face down. She was still in her white jeans and deep blue tank top.

'What are you doing here?' Rusty asked softly, walking up to her. He noticed a frame beside her, a wrinkled picture of her mother in it. 'Lain?'

Looking up, Lain stared at Rusty with dazed eyes. Blinking, she looked around. 'What time is it?'

'Two in the morning.' Rusty replied.

'Damn.' Lain muttered. Holding herself against the wall, she stood up, holding one side of her head. Shaking it, she turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Looking down, Rusty saw the photo frame still on the floor. 'You left something.'

'What?' Lain turned and looked at the floor. 'Can you pick it up for me?'

'Why not?' Rusty shrugged, picking it up. Sitting at the kitchen table, he set the photo down and stared at the beautiful women in it. She had long dark brown hair and the same amber eyes Lain had. It was a portrait and she was smiling out at him, one hand placed over her shoulder. Wearing almost no make up, anyone could see that she was a natural beauty.

'You saw your Father today?' Rusty asked casually, leaning back. The kitchen was probably the place where they had the most interaction besides sex.

'Yeah.' Lain replied quietly after a few moments of silence. Pouring herself a glass of water, she popped in an aspirin and drained it down.

'Why were you sitting in the hallway?' Rusty continued.

'I had a headache.' Lain said lightly, holding herself against the sink, her back towards him.

'What happened at your Father's?' Rusty asked, standing up.

Lain looked over her shoulders. 'You're weird today. You never ask questions about this.'

'Just answer me.' Rusty said curtly.

'The same.' Lain shrugged. Putting the glass into the sink, she walked past him. Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her at the door. When she turned around, he got a good look of the ruby tear drop pendent that was hanging around her neck by a platinum chain, dangling right above her wedding ring.

Frowning, he reached out one hand and held it up. 'Who gave you this?'

Looking down at his hand, Lain lowered her eyebrows. Grabbing the pendent from Rusty's fingers, she pulled it down from her neck hard, the platinum chain breaking. Rusty widened his eyes slightly as she stepped back and threw it onto the floor, grinding it down hard with the sharp heel of her boot, crushing it.

'It was a birthday gift.' Lain whispered, her head bowed so low her long silky strands covered the side of her face. 'My Father gave it to me.'

Looking down at the shattered pendent, Rusty sighed. Walking towards her, he lifted the soft strands and brushed them over her shoulder. He could see that Lain's amber eyes were trained on the floor, on the shattered pendent.

'You want him to die?' It sounded more like a statement.

Looking up, she found herself staring at Rusty's clear blue eyes. She watched as they slowly turned grey as he leaned down, her hair still tangled around his fingers. He was about to brush his lips across hers when she suddenly caught sight of something red smeared on his jaw line. The familiar smell of perfume and smoke suddenly hit her and she stepped back while pushing him away.

'You have Novita's stink.' Was all she said as she turned on her heel and walked down the hall.

Narrowing his eyes, he followed her into their room and closed the door behind him quietly, watching sideways as Lain changed into shorts and an oversized T-shirt. Pulling her hair up, she tossed the dirty clothes into the hamper beside her dressing table and padded across the carpeted floor barefoot, passing him silently.

When the door clicked behind him again, Russ threw a glance over his shoulder before he walked to the night stand. Staring down at it for a while, he opened the top drawer and found his abandoned dog tag in there. Picking it up, he closed the drawer with one knee and sat down on the easy chair. The only light in the room was the bright moonlight that was shining in, filtered by the blinds.

Holding the dogtag up in the air, he could barely see the words engraved on the two plates.

_Rusty MacKenzie / C.E. 73-07-21/ Code: 053342/ Red Elite / Team Klueze_

Closing his eyes, he gripped the cold metal in his hands.

_'You're Rusty MacKenzie, you used to be teammates with Dearka and Athrun.'_

_'This is just an excuse you're giving yourself. Even so, it doesn't justify you joining Nessar! You're killing for a paycheck Rusty! You're not killing for justice, for PLANT and not for ZAFT!' _

_'My name is no longer Rusty. Rusty MacKenzie has died and is buried under that grave. I'm Russ Enzia, Nessar's trump card assassin.' _

_'This is your true test, I want to see loyalty in you Russ, or you know what will happen. You can do it right?' _

A sudden feeling of helplessness washed through him. He was truly caught between a rock and a hard place and he only had himself to blame. He should have seen this coming, no matter what he did, he'd be caught in the middle of Nessar's own war because he was too good a sniper. Just one order and he'd get the job done. If he wanted to, if he was brutal enough, Yzak, Athrun and Dearka would have died three months ago.

He was hesitating, really hesitating. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the ZAFT soldier within him. He was still Rusty MacKenzie, he still _wanted _to be Rusty MacKenzie and was waiting for this day to come, waiting for a chance to leave Nessar. He wanted to leave, but he wouldn't leave without Lain.

Closing his eyes, he fingered his wedding ring on his left forth finger. He more or less knew what Lain wanted to do. Throughout the years, even during the time when he was blind, he knew Lain was up to something, she was collecting information to break down Nessar once and for all. He knew that his appearance had ruined her original plan and because of this, Novita had started to suspect Lain, not that she wasn't suspicious from the very beginning.

From the time he spent with Novita, he knew that the girl had serious security issues. If the girl he married wasn't Lain, Novita would have killed her. She had been extremely jealous of Lain since forever and was waiting for a chance to kill her. If she could just uncover what Lain was doing, she'd have a chance and an excuse, but Lain was smarter than she thought.

Now, Lain was in a very dangerous situation and was truly walking on thin ice, thinner than him. He had predicted this day, ever since he sensed people following them in the park two and a half years ago. He knew Lain was careful, but with Quasim's request and all, her real intentions will blow wide up if he wasn't careful, let alone she.

_'You don't have much to lose Russ. You've been sent this mission for three months, its obvious you're hesitating, you don't want to kill them. If you fail this mission, it's a mutual benefit and you may eventually be the biggest winner.' _

He wasn't stupid, he knew what Quasim was up to. The quality of people in Nessar was going down and it would have deteriorated if it weren't for Lain and later Rusty. They were more or less holding Nessar together and if they took either side, chances are the other party would lose. If he failed this mission, he'd failed this loyalty test Herze had given him. Herze van Ness was not the type of person to keep traitors. He will kill him and Lain. He'd kill him either way.

'Rusty.'

Opening his eyes, Rusty found that the sun had already rose, the weak sunrays shining into the bedroom. Looking up, he saw Lain staring down at him, fully dressed, her hair down.

'What?' Rusty asked curtly, fingering the dogtag.

Shooting a glance at the dog tag in his hands, Lain took a deep breath. 'I want you to help me.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Help you? That's new.'

Lain just looked at him. 'Please.'

* * *

_'She's in Quasim's villa in the outskirts.' _

_'Why are you telling me all this Jevo? You betrayed me before, why should I trust you?' _

_'Believe me, you'd want to trust me this time.' _

_'Why?' _

_'I may be working for Quasim now, but I want to return this favor. Believe it or not I regretted betraying you two years ago.' _

_'There's no room for regretting Jevo, you just do it.' _

_'You told me you won't let innocent people fall into Nessar's trap, that's why I'm telling you where she is.' _

_'You really think I'm going to save her?' _

_'I do.' _

Lain opened her eyes at the sound of Rusty pulling the hand break.

'We're here.' Rusty said flatly, turning to her. 'What do you want to do? May I remind you that this villa belongs to Quasim van Ness.'

'I have my ways.' Lain muttered, eyeing Rusty briefly. Reaching down, she picked up the briefcase at her feet and opened it, a computer inside. Flipping it open, she typed in a few codes, the villa's blueprint appearing on the screen.

'You want to cut the power?' Rusty asked, leaning over to see what she was doing.

Lain nodded and looked around, her fingers still flying over the keyboard. 'I've hacked into their control server. Quasim's villa has been a worry to Father for some time and he had asked me to check it out a while ago. It may not be as big as the headquarters, but it's well equipped enough, it's practically like a fortress.'

'What do you _not_ know?' Rusty muttered, leaning back.

'A lot.' Lain replied absently. 'But if you confine your question to only Nessar, then practically everything.'

'You're crazy.' Rusty murmured. 'You know that? Crazy.'

'I take that as a compliment.' Lain responded flatly, eyeing him. Narrowing her eyes at the villa that was a distance from Rusty's convertible which was parked in the shadows, she hit the command. five seconds later, all lights of the villa went off.

'You cut their emergency power too?' Rusty asked.

Lain nodded, closing her briefcase. Taking out a palm, she put it into her jacket pocket.

'I don't get you.' Rusty said, climbing out of the car. 'Why are you doing this?'

Lain looked at him, leaning against his car. 'Make a guess.'

Rusty snorted. 'I'm too old for guessing games.' Reaching into his coat, he took out an extra pistol and tossed it across the car.

'What's this?' Lain looked down at the pistol in her hand. 'I've never seen this before.'

'It belongs to my person collection.' Rusty said absently, loading his own gun. 'Just take it, it may save you.'

'Fine.' Lain muttered, sticking it into the back of her pants. 'We have thirty minutes, the room Miriallia's in is enclosed. Since I've cut the ventilation system as well, she's going to die if we don't get her out of there.'

'Wait.' Rusty pulled Lain back a bit before they approached the dark villa. Taking out a muffler, he put it on his pistol and raised his gun. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled the trigger four times.

'I guess that year of blindness did not take away your incredible eyesight.' Lain commented dryly, watching as four of Quasim's guards fell onto the ground from the shadows.

'I have you to thank.' Rusty said in a low voice, smirking over his shoulder.

Snorting, Lain walked across the ground soundlessly. Looking around, she motioned for Rusty. Peering into the window, she saw Miriallia sitting against the bed, her head buried in your knees. Lain could tell that she was starting to pant.

'You better be quick.' Rusty warned, looking around. 'They're going to find out about the four dead bodies very soon.'

'Don't rush me.' Lain hissed. Reaching into her jacket, she took out a few tools, including a screw driver and a needle.

Narrowing his eyes, Rusty couldn't help but worry at the unusual quietness. His sensitive ears could hear chaotic footsteps in the house, but they weren't chaotic enough.

Smirking at the click, Lain dropped the tools on the ground and opened the window silently, frowning at the squeaking joints. 'Hold it open for me.' Lain said, turning to Rusty.

'Quick.' Rusty whispered. 'I don't have a good feeling.'

Climbing into the big guest room, Lain shook Miriallia by the shoulder. 'Wake up!'

Looking up, Miriallia stared at Lain, caught back by Lain's bright amber eyes. 'I've seen you before…'

'Yes.' Lain nodded down at her tear-stained face. 'If you don't get out of here now, you're going to die.'

'What?' Miriallia watched as Lain pulled her up to her feet. 'What do you mean?'

'I cut the power source, the ventilation system's dead and you're in an enclosed area.' Lain explained quickly. 'Get out of this window now.'

Nodding, Miriallia climbed out of the window and gasped at the sight of Rusty. 'What are you – '

'You want to get out of here or you want to die?' Rusty snarled, arms crossed.

'Let's go.' Lain said quietly, giving Miriallia a soft push.

'I can't…' Miriallia put one hand on her chest and coughed.

'Rusty.' Lain looked at him.

Exhaling loudly, Rusty rolled his eyes. 'I don't see why not.'

Holding her by the arm, Lain helped Miriallia onto Rusty's back. Miriallia tried to refrain from coughing as Rusty walked across the ground soundlessly yet his footsteps swift.

'Put her in the car first.' Lain said in a low voice, looking out.

'What?' Rusty hissed, putting Miriallia into the small backseat area of his convertible. 'Where do you think you're going? We're getting _out_ of here.'

'I'll be back.' Lain said slowly, her eyebrows furrowing. 'Send her back first if anything happens.'

'What?' Rusty tried to stop her but jumped back at a sudden flash of light. Stepping back, he prayed that it was dark enough so they couldn't see his car parked behind the big tree.

Lain couldn't help but widen her eyes at the beat up body on the ground.

'It was your advice Lain.' Herze van Ness stepped into the white light, a pistol raised. 'You told me to destroy all betrayers and that's what I did.'

Lain swallowed down the lump in her throat. 'And what did Madge do?'

'A lot.' Herze said. 'Too much that it's hard to count, and now, I figured you're a traitor too.'

'You want to kill me?' Lain narrowed her eyes, taking a step forward.

'I've wanted to for some time.' Herze said. Looking over his shoulder, Novita stepped up with her arms crossed, followed by Quasim.

'I'm glad you've finally had the guts to do it.' Lain narrowed her eyes. 'Father.'

'Don't call me Father.' Herze seethed. 'I'm not your Father.' With that, he pulled the trigger.

Closing her eyes, Lain looked away. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Madge before her, gripping her shoulders. Smiling up at her, she closed her eyes and fell.

'Madge!' Lain caught her falling body. 'Madge!' Raising one hand, she saw blood stained on her fingers. Looking down, blood was oozing out of her right abdomen.

Looking up, Lain was just in time to see Herze fire another shot. Dodging, it brushed past her left arm. Unable to withstand Madge's weight, Lain fell to the floor.

'You're right Lain.' Herze took a step forward. 'Betrayers should be eliminated.'

'If you want to shoot, then shoot.' Lain muttered, glaring up at him. 'I dare you.'

Narrowing his eyes, Herze was about to pull the trigger for the third time when a bullet suddenly hit the barrel of his gun, causing it to fly out of his hand. When he looked up again, a tear bomb was already on the floor, smoking rushing out of it.

'Are you alright Father?' Novita cried, rushing towards him.

'Did you see who it was?' Herze asked, staring at the now empty space before them.

Novita shook her head.

'Sir, the hostage has escaped.' Klause reported to Quasim, who nodded.

'It's him Father.' Quasim narrowed his eyes, shooting a glance at Novita.

'It was Enzia.'

**End of Chapter 9  
**_Next Update: 2nd October, 2005_

**A/N:** And the countdown begins, three chapters left. If you're curious about who will be in GSA III, which I think a lot of you have already made a very good guess, you can go to 'hermitjunction. net' or my LJ by the user name 'piscesmiles' for teaser pics. Of course I'm not going to let out too much. I'm evil.


	11. Chapter 10

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 10**

'It should be okay for a while.' Miriallia said quietly, tightening the cloth around Lain's arm.

'Thanks.' Lain whispered.

'Are you sure?' Rusty looked at Lain with furrowed eyebrows, a bottle of transparent liquid in his hands. 'There's no turning back.'

Lain nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Rusty shook his head and opened the bottle, pouring the thinner over Madge's dead body. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a box of matches. Sliding it open, he took out a match and lit it. Closing his eyes, he dropped it on the thinner-soaked ground and stepped back.

Leaning back on the seat, Lain looked at the burning body sideways, the flame reflecting in her eyes. When the sun rose completely, the body was already burnt to ashes. Beside her, Miriallia tried to refrain from vomiting, holding onto her chest.

'Let's go.' Lain said quietly. Looking down at her, Rusty nodded and climbed into the car.

'I'll take you back first.' Rusty said, looking over his shoulder. Nodding silently, Miriallia leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

The ride was in dead silence. When Rusty pulled his car at the side of the road near the ZAFT sleeping quarters, the digital clock on the car's dashboard read seven fifteen.

'Come on, I'll bring you up.' Rusty said, climbing out of his car.

'Are you sure?' Miriallia asked. 'I mean, Dearka's not going to be in a very good mood, he might kill you.'

'I'm not going to show up at his door.' Rusty gave her a small smile. 'I'm just going to see that you've arrived safely,.'

'If you say so.'

'Lain?'

'Hmm?' Lain opened her eyes half way.

'You're going to be okay right?' Rusty asked, looking down at her.

'Go.' With that, Lain turned her head and closed her eyes again. Gritting her teeth, she hiked one hand up her arm and gripped the wound, feeling the blood stained cloth Miriallia had tired around her arm. Opening the dashboard, she took out a bottle of fresh water and snapped open the cap. When she drained down half a bottle, she found that there was blood on the plastic. Looking down at her hands, she felt a sting in her eyes.

'Lain.' She almost jumped at the hand on her good arm.

'Did everything go okay?' Lain asked absently, still looking down at her hand.

'Yeah.' Rusty said shortly. Gunning the engine, he turned on the radio, letting the morning reports occupy the silence between them while shooting the rear mirror a glance. When they arrived their building and climbed out of the car, Rusty took off his trench coat and draped it across a surprised Lain. Taking the briefcase with one hand, he grabbed Lain's hand with the other and pulled her out of the alley. She pulled the trench coat closer to herself in attempts to cover the blood stains on the front of her white jeans when some people walked past them.

'Are you sure?' Rusty looked at her as the elevator door closed.

'It's a building filled with people.' Lain responded tiredly. 'They won't run that risk. Besides, ever since Novita's uninvited visit two years ago, I changed the security system.'

'I'm aware of that.' Rusty muttered. Lain shot a glance at their entwined fingers as he pulled her out of the elevator. Unlocking the keys, he set down the briefcase.

'Rusty, can you get me the first aid box?' Lain asked. Receiving no answer, she looked at Rusty's back. 'Rusty?'

Turning around, he leaned down and picked her up, much to her surprise. Wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself, she felt her heart pound as he walked down the hallway and pushed open their bedroom door with his back. Setting her on the neatly made bed, he leaned his forehead on hers for a few seconds before standing straight.

'I'll get that wound properly wrapped.' Rusty said softly.

Watching him leave the room, Lain couldn't help but clench the front of her tank top, trying to calm down the beat of her heart.

'Get that hand off your top.' Rusty's voice rang in front of her. Looking up, she widened her eyes at the pair of scissors in his hands. 'I have to cut the top off.' He explained warily.

Nodding her head, she let Rusty remove his trench coat from her shoulders. Holding still, she winced as Rusty removed the blood stained white jacket from her carefully. Holding the hem of her tank top, he carefully cut open the thin material. Removing the strips from her body, he tossed it onto the floor. Shooting a glance at her now bra-clad torso, he took a deep breath and reached for some antiseptic wipes.

Lain couldn't help but soften her eyes as she watched Rusty at work, carefully wiping the bullet wound of hers. It stung a little, but she could barely feel it. His spiky almost cover his eyes, Lain almost reached out to brush the locks out of the way so she could see his eyes. Gripping the bed cover with her hands, she looked away and winced as he fastened the gauze tightly around her arm.

'You have to be careful with it.' Rusty said. 'It's not that deep so it should be okay.' Turning around, he started stuffing the remaining materials back into the plastic box.

Closing her eyes at the sudden sting in her eyes, she leaned her forehead onto his back. Pausing, he closed the box. 'It's going to be okay.'

'Don't go.' Lain whispered. 'Stay with me.'

They stayed like that for a few moments before Rusty stood up. Opening her eyes again, Lain watched as Rusty left the room with the plastic box in his hands. When he came back, he picked up his trench coat and her white jacket. As he hung them up, his back was to her, trying to avoid her naked stare.

When he finished brushing his trench coat, he turned sideways and started to unbutton his black shirt. Lain watched him remove the shirt and then his white tank. Moving his hands down, he unbuckled his leather belt and dropped it onto the floor. Unbuttoning his creased white trousers, he let them fall to the ground. While doing this, Lain noticed that he had his eyes trained on the floor the whole time.

Picking up his discarded clothes, he dumped them into the hamper on the way and walked up to her. Looking down at her with barely trembling eyes, he knelt down and reached out both hands, unhooking her bra. When he was done, he slid it off her carefully in a very controlled manner and tossed it on the floor. Picking her up, he placed her down on the fluffy sheets gently and looked down at her.

'You want me to stay with you?' He whispered.

Lain nodded like a little girl. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he undid her white jeans and slid them down her slim legs along with her white cotton panties. Tossing them onto the floor, he took off his own boxers and climbed onto the bed slowly, looking down at her with dark grey eyes.

Leaning his head down, he nuzzled her neck briefly before kissing her on the lips. Reaching out one hand, Lain caressed his cheek, sliding her soft fingertips down his neck.

He touch was unbelievably soft, unlike their usual rough moves. His every touch was comfortable, was secure. In his arms, Lain felt like she was belonged, she was owned.

Spreading her legs open, Rusty leaned his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes as he entered her slowly. Holding onto him tightly, she closed her eyes, burying her face into his neck as he started to rock against her, picking up speed slowly. Wrapping one arm around her shoulders, he caressed the side of her hips with the other, breathing her name into her ear, his voice barely audible under their steady pants.

Catching her lips with his, he preyed her mouth open in a deep kiss as they finally came. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she responded with a passion she never knew she had as they bodies trembled against each other, their moist skin rubbing against each other. Feeling him pulling away, she frowned and wrapped her legs around his waist and cupped his face, deepening the kiss if possible.

'Lain!' Rusty broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. Closing her eyes, she panted, her hands on his shoulders. Feeling her loosen her legs around his waist, Rusty pulled away quickly and rolled onto his back, pressing Lain down onto his chest.

Turning her head away from him, Lain gripped his shoulder and stared at his hand. Grabbing her right hand, Rusty traced her lips with his index fingers while holding her hand.

'Rusty.'

'Hmm?'

Lain fingered the wedding band around his fourth finger while Rusty played with her black locks that were scattered across his chest.

'Do you love me?'

Rusty paused for a while before running his fingers through her hair, lifting up a strand. 'Maybe.'

'Maybe…' Lain's voice trailed. 'You're right, I should be more honest with you.'

Rusty looked up at the ceiling. 'Then be honest with me.'

'Are you going to hate me if I tell you the truth?' Lain whispered. 'Are you going to be scared of me?'

Rusty kissed the back of her head and nuzzled her neck. 'Tell me.'

Turning her head, she buried her face into his neck. Narrowing his eyes at the moist, he tightened his grip around her, very aware of the coldness of her wedding band on his chest.

'I killed her.' Lain whispered.

'Who did you kill?'

'I killed my Mother.'

* * *

'Who's child is this?' 

'Lacia's. She's Lacia's girl.'

'Lacia? You've got to be kidding me, there's no way I'm going to take care of her.'

'It's Herze's orders, just do it.'

'But – '

'Come on, just for a short while.'

'Wait a minute… he ordered you!'

'Isn't the same? Besides, he said all paid, you don't have to give a penny. How bad can it be? It's just a kid, she's only five years old for crying out loud, what can she do?'

'Still… look at her eyes, they're just like her good for nothing mother.'

Good for nothing was a very good phrase to describe her Mother, Lacia Peragrine was indeed good for nothing. Not only was she good for nothing, she was also bad for everything. Her name was like a plague, whoever in Nessar mentioned her name, chills immediately ran up their spines.

People would ask why and it really was simple. Herze van Ness hated her, a hate generated from love. A very dangerous kind of resentment.

Lacia Peragrine was a beautiful woman. She was tall with a figure to kill, long flowing dark brown hair, beautiful white skin and most prominent of all, her bright amber eyes only seen in rare types of coordinators. Not only was she beautiful, she also had a brain and wit. As a descendent from one of the most notorious firearms developing family of the underground world, she had everything, from money to men, plus she had the skill to make the best weapon. She herself was already a dangerous weapon

When Herze van Ness was had established Nessar and made its name through the underground world, he met Lacia through one of Nessar's firearms trade. It wasn't love at first sight, but Herze did feel an unusual attraction to her. For a man who also had money and an unlimited supply of women, he felt the idea of making Lacia Peragrine his woman both interesting and daring.

Their relationship started with sex and trade, typical for people who live underground. They'd meet whenever they had the chance, fucking each other like wild animals on the loose. They kept this relationship for almost a year before Herze decided to marry her. He was surprised that she had agreed, she was, after all, twenty three and he was no older.

The marriage between Herze van Ness and Lacia Peragrine rocked the underground world. No one thought Heze van Ness would settle down, let alone at the age of twenty five and Lacia had an infamous history with the men. Nobody thought their marriage would last, and everyone's speculation came true.

Their marriage was an unstable one and for a money oriented person like Herze van Ness, everyone knew he wanted more than just the beautiful woman in his bed, including Lacia. He wanted to penetrate into the firearms business of Peragrine, wanted to merge it into the big business of Nessar. Being the sole heir of Peragrine's big business, Lacia surprisingly had no objection towards Herze's actions.

No one knew what was going through her mind, not even her husband. For a woman like her, people would think that she had everything, she could have everything and _did_ have everything. Little did they know that she was seeking more than just money and a physical relationship with men. She wanted more, but the problem was, she didn't know what she wanted, so she kept trying, kept experimenting.

Even after she was married.

Three years after their marriage, Lacia was found in bed with three men by Herze. Two weeks later, she found out that she was pregnant. By that time, Herze had already stopped sleeping with her for over half a year so the chances of the baby being his was almost impossible. He didn't divorce her though he wanted to and let her have the baby, much to others' surprise.

She was Nessar's whore, everyone knew it, it was a universal understanding. After giving birth to a baby girl, Lacia still didn't change her lifestyle and continued to live the life she wanted, pulling her farther and farther away from Herze. Though knowing little baby Lain wasn't his, he still provided the money for her raising. Being a very irresponsible Mother, Lacia didn't mind her baby girl taken away from her.

From the day she was born, Lain was taken care of by different people of Nessar, all unwilling to do so but was forced under the threatening eye of her Father. No one had dared asked whether she was Herze's daughter by birth, yet it was obvious that she wasn't because of her pitch black hair. Her Mother's history with the men also explained a lot.

'When's she leaving?'

'I don't know, but I've got notice that she'll be taken to Earth, you know, by her Mother.'

'Are you serious? Lacia Peragrine's really going to take her back? Why? I was told that Herze forbid her to see her daughter!'

'How would I know, I'm not the boss. You know, even if I were her Mother, I wouldn't want to take care of her.'

'Don't say that!'

'It's true! Look at the girl, what she? Nine? Her eyes are chilling, just like her Mother when, you know, she's in business mode.'

'Yeah, but her eyes are chilling twenty four seven. You think she knows what's going on with her pathetic life? You know, especially about her Mom?'

'Maybe. What I think is more chilling will be her Mom's sexual history. I've heard rumors saying that she's practically a sex addict. Do you know how many guys she feds on in a night alone?'

'A truck?'

'Probably, or at least close to that amount. Threesomes, foursomes you name it.'

'She's going to die of sex, I tell you.'

'Yeah, which is most suitable for her…'

The two women almost jumped in their seats when a small foot stepped into the kitchen.

'Hi – hi Lain, what are you doing here?'

Lain looked up at the lady she called Aunt Wewin for a while before opening her mouth. 'I want a glass of water.'

'Su – sure, go get it by the counter.'

Nodding, Lain walked up to the counter by the sink and stepped on the small stool. Looking down, she saw a bottle that was sealed. She was about to reach out for it when Wewin cried for her to stop.

'Don't touch that Lain! That's thinner.'

Lain just looked over her shoulder and gave her a look before picking up the water jug. Pouring herself a glass of water, she stepped down the stool and left the kitchen soundlessly while the two women watched her leave.

'She's creepy Wewin, absolutely creepy.'

'Yeah, but sometimes, I pity her you know, I really do. She's in a way absolutely innocent.'

'If you really have to blame, blame her Mother.'

'Yeah, they're both pathetic, they really are.'

* * *

'So you're Lain, the whore's daughter.' 

'Novita! Don't say that!'

'What? I'm not wrong Quasim.'

Shaking his head, Quasim tried to pull the nine year old Novita back. They had heard from others that the infamous Lacia had taken her daughter back and was called to the headquarters by Herze van Ness. Though Herze had had a lot of women and offsprings, Lain was the only legitimate daughter of his because he was legally married to Lacia. Though little, Novita knew how unfair this was to her Mother and swore revenge. When she heard that Lain was here, she had marched down to lounge where she was left alone with Quasim running after her in desperate hopes of pulling her back.

'You have no right to be Father's legitimate daughter!' Novita cried.

'Novita!' Quasim hissed.

'What are you? Scared? Say something!' Novita taunted while Quasim held her back. 'You're not even Father's real daughter!'

At that, Lain turned and glared at her with bright amber orbs.

'What? You're getting angry?' Novita jeered. 'Say something!'

'Get away from me.' Lain said flatly, still sitting on the couch in a nice little black dress, looking like a doll, an expressionless doll.

'What?' Novita screeched. 'You have no right to say that! You're the one who should get out of here! Get out!'

'Stay away from my daughter.' Another voice bellowed from the door. Turning around Quasim and Novita saw Lacia Peragrine standing there with glaring eyes. 'Back off.'

'Come on! Get out Novita!' Quasim hissed. 'You won't want this to get to Father and your Mother! Let's go.'

Throwing Lain one more glance, Novita whirled around and marched out of the lounge with her nose in the air. Giving Lacia an apologetic head nod, Quasim scrambled after his sister.

'You alright there?' Lacia asked, stepping into the room.

Shooting her a brief glance, Lain jumped from the sofa and looked up at the woman she was supposed to call 'Mom'. She didn't look like a Mom at all and she had barely seen her since she was born. It had already been ten years yet Lacia Peragrine was still the beautiful women she was at twenty five.

'Let's go.' Lacia held out her hand. Giving it a brief look, Lain put her small hand into hers and let her lead the way out of the headquarters while people who passed by stared.

She was later brought to Earth where she was settled inside a big villa near Carpentaria. There, she met, for the first time, Lacia's older sister, Madge who too had a child, a son who was two years younger than her. Completely opposite from Lain, Marni was a very energetic boy who completely ignorant and innocent to say the least.

Lain was basically kept in the villa for most of the time while her Mother was practically out twenty four seven. If she wasn't out, she'd be fucking away with more than one guy in her room. What she wasn't aware of was her room was just adjacent her daughters.

Lain didn't understand why her Mother had to do that to herself, didn't understand why she had to ruin her life, ruin her body physically with the uncountable amount of sex she had. She was trying to destroy herself.

'Play with me Lainy! Please!' Marni wailed, tugging Lain by the arm.

'You know I don't play.' Lain said, staring down at the little boy.

'Come on!' Marni tugged on her sleeve harder. 'You're so boring.'

Lain rolled her eyes. 'Yes, I _am_ boring.'

Walking down the hallway with Marni tagging her, she stopped beside the entrance to the drawing room where she heard sobs. It was her Mother.

'I want to die.'

'Don't say that!' Madge cried in a choked voice, holding her sister tightly.

'Look at me! I'm pathetic Madge! I can't even bond with my daughter! I'm ashamed of doing so! Do you know why I left my daughter to Herze? I didn't want her to see what a pathetic woman her Mother is! I don't even know what I'm doing now Madge! I don't!'

'Shh…' Madge hushed. 'It's going to be okay. You can still turn back Lacia, you still can, trust me.'

'I can't…' Lacia sobbed. 'He's coming after me, he wants me to die, he's going to take revenge on me, I know it.'

'Shh…'

'Mommy!' Marni suddenly cried from behind Lain. Looking up, Madge watched as her son jumped onto the sofa. 'Why's Aunt Lacy crying?' He reached out one chubby hand and touched Lacia's face. 'Why are you crying?'

'Aunt Lacy's okay.' Lacia smiled, rubbing her eye.

'Lainy! You're Mommy's crying!' Marni cried.

Stepping into the entrance, Lain looked at her Mother with expressionless eyes. When she turned, Madge opened her mouth. 'Where are you going? '

'I'm going to the kitchen.' Lain said flatly. 'I want a glass of water.'

'We were wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner, it's your birthday in a couple of days.' Madge said in a hopeful tone.

'No thank you.' Came Lain's prompt response.

'I'm a terrible mother.' Lacia said after a few moments of tense silence, taking a deep breath. 'I really am, Lain.'

'Yeah.' Lain looked over her shoulder, amber eyes staring at amber eyes. 'You are Mother.'

* * *

It was another snowy night, a snowy yet sleepless night for Lain. Unlike other nights however, it wasn't because of the noise from the next room, she really couldn't sleep. 

Sitting at the window, she stared out the glass pane, watching as the snow swirled down, some of it gathered at the window pane. The house was exceptionally quiet tonight with the absence of Marni's occasional screams and shouts. Madge had taken her son out on their monthly bonding dinners and Lacia was no where to be seen. Lain knew there was an underground workshop in the basement but she'd never been there nor would she be allowed.

Reaching under the cushion, Lain took out a pistol. She had found it lying around on the kitchen a few days ago with a polishing cloth. She had gone back the next morning and still found it there, so she took it. Though only nine, she already knew how to use a gun and a lot of other firearms, thanks to her roving life between acting members of Nessar. They didn't really teach her, she just watched them behind doors.

It was a pretty heavy pistol for her age, yet somehow, she felt attached to it. She knew what her Mother did and though despising her, she had to admit that she wanted to inherit her 'business'. She could do it.

Sighing, Lain was about to stuff the pistol back under the cushion again when she heard a loud bang. Frowning, she put on her slippers and hopped from the window pane. Pausing, she dug her hand under the cushion and took out the pistol, sticking it into the back of her black track pants. Grabbing her worn hooded jacket, she stepped out of her room soundlessly. Just then, she heard a scream and a gunshot.

Peeking behind a closet from the second floor, she watched as her Mother was thrown onto the marble floor like a rag doll, a bullet hole in the wall behind her.

'If you want to kill me, then kill me.' Lacia said through gritted teeth, blood sliding down the side of her face.

Five men entered through the main doors, the man holding out his gun being the leader. Licking his lips, he sneered down at Lacia. 'Oh, we will kill you, but we'd like to do a little bit more before we take that step.' He looked over his shoulder. 'What did the boss say?'

'That she's a whore and we could do whatever we could.'

'With the end result being that she's dead.'

'The boss hates you, you know that don't you?'

Lacia glared up at him. 'Of course I do.'

'You're nothing to him now, you're an idiot for letting that family business of yours slip away from your fingers. Now that everything's gone to him, you're really nothing but a whore, a broken whore.'

'We should sell her to Nessar's brothels, who knows? She might make a fortune for us in the end.'

'Not a bad idea, but before that, I think we should have a little fun of our own.'

Lain couldn't help but slid down onto the floor at her Mother's echoing screams from the foyer. Pulling her knees to her chest, she covered her ears and bowed her head, trying to block out the blood curling shouts as the thugs raped her one by one, right on the cold marble floor of the foyer. When Lacia tried to run, they pulled her back and pinned her down on the floor, knocking down three bottles of thinner on the high table beside the stairs.

She didn't understand. Why was she screaming? Why was she resisting? She'd have sex with different men practically every night and she didn't say a thing. She enjoyed it. Why was she screaming like this?

Feeling her heart pound in her chest, Lain looked out from behind the closet again after what seemed like forever. The screams had stopped in replacement of rapid panting. The panting died down too as two of the thugs pulled their pants again. Lighting a cigarette, the leader took a puff, jeering down at Lacia's unmoving body.

'Shall we go?'

Nodding, he grinded the cigarette into Lacia's naval yet she was too tired and too beaten up to even wince from the burning pain.

'Who is it?'

Gasping under her breath, Lain realized that she had stuck her head out too far. Dodging back, she took out the pistol from the back of her track pants and loaded it.

'Who is it? Come out!'

'It's the whore's daughter.'

'Here little one, come out come out wherever you are.'

Grimacing at the words, Lain held still as she heard footsteps up the stairs. Gulping down a big lump in her throat, she jumped out from behind the closet. Raising the pistol, she aimed it at the leader and pulled the trigger. The bullet shot right through his forehead and at the force, he fell back and rolled down the stairs, landing on the floor with a pool of blood around his head.

'Mother of fuck! Get that girl now!'

She didn't really know what was happening but after four gunshots, she found four dead men before her, all with blood oozing out of their bodies, from prominently lethal areas.

She stood there, staring down at the bloody scene before her, the bloody scene she had created herself. Lying on the floor, stripped and beaten, Lacia did not have the strength to even stand up. All she could do was watch with blurry eyes as Lain walked down the stairs slowly, stepping across the dead bodies, bodies of the thugs who had rapped her Mother practically before her eyes. Her footsteps heavy, blood dragged from her slippers, mixing with the thinner that had splashed all over the slippery floor earlier.

Looking down at the women she called a Mom, Lain felt exceptionally calm, horrifyingly calm. Managing to hold her head up a little, Lacia looked at her daughter through dull amber eyes.

'I want to die.' Lacia whispered in a barely audible voice, her sounds she made coarse from all the screaming and struggling she had done. 'I want to die…'

Lowering her eyes slightly, Lain watched as her Mother tucked her head into her shoulder and started to sob.

She wanted to die.

Turning away, she headed towards the high table and pulled out the drawer, taking out a box of matches with one hand, the pistol still in the other.

Backing away with her eyes on her choking Mother the whole time, she took off her blood soaked slippers and stepped onto the snow with only her socks on. Pulling the box out, she lit the match and held it up to her eyes. Giving her Mother one more glance, she flicked it out and watched as the fire ran all over the floor, lighting everything that had thinner in contact, including her Mother.

The night went on with snow falling softly. Standing in front of the villa the whole night, Lain watched as the place she called home was burnt down, including the woman she called Mother.

She killed her Mother.

She stood there until the house burnt down. Her feet were numb from the soaking coldness, her fingers still tightly wrapped around the pistol she used to kill the five thugs.

'You did this?'

At the male voice, Lain looked up and paused before looking over her shoulder. Herze van Ness was standing there with Quasim and Daires behind him.

Herze raised his eyebrows. 'You did this?'

'She killed her Mother, her Mother for crying out loud.' Daire hissed behind Herze's back. 'And she's only nine!'

Turning around, Lain looked up at her tall Father with bright amber eyes. 'I'm not nine, I'm ten today.'

'You killed them, all six of them?' Herze asked, narrowing his eyes down at her.

'Yes.' Lain said. 'I killed them.' Holding her hand out, she dropped the pistol onto the ground.

'Come back to Nessar and work for me.' Herze said promptly.

'But sir – ' Daire protested.

'Either that, or you'll pay the consequences Lain.' Herze said darkly, not a usual tone used on a ten year old who's suppose to be his daughter.

Lain looked up at him silently.

'So?' Herze raised his eyebrows.

'If you want me to work for you,' Lain paused, 'then I'll work for you… Father.'

**End of Chapter 10  
**_Next Update: 9th October, 2005_

**A/N:** Ironically, I got to watch the very last episode of GSD yet none of the other episodes. Can't say I was that impressed with it, though the last episode of GS was pretty vague too. Just a random rant. Two chapters left!


	12. Chapter 11

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 11**

Lain sat at her working desk, staring at the screen. She had found a data disc taped to the door this morning with the initials 'M.P.' on it. Knowing that it was from Madge, she ripped it off the door and went straight down to her workshop, popping it into her computer.

'Why did you have to do this?' Lain whispered, glaring at the data before her. 'I don't need you to risk your life like this.'

She had said the exact same words before Madge died in her arms yesterday. After Rusty's tear-bomb, he had speeded them through the forest. Knowing that they didn't come after them after twenty minutes, Lain had told him to stop because Madge was dying. Stopping the car, he had helped her carry Madge out of the car and lied her down on the ground. She knew she was going to die soon, die right in front of her. Just like her Mother.

'Lain.' Madge had whispered, looking up at her through tired eyes, her face still bleeding. Her clothes were torn and blood was oozing through her the cloth. They had used a wipe, a typical weapon for betrayers.

'Yeah.' Lain gave her a little smile while holding onto her hand. Rusty was leaning against his car with his arms crossed while Miriallia sat there, tears welling up.

'I'm going to die, aren't I?' Madge asked in a coarse voice, barely returning the smile.

'Don't worry, we're here, I'm here.' Lain said quietly, squeezing her bloody hand.

Madge stared up at her. 'In a way, you're so much like Lacia.'

Before, Lain would snap at that comment, but she didn't have the strength nor the will to do so now.

Madge sighed softly and looked away. 'She's independent, strong willed and knows what she's doing, except for probably in bed. She doesn't need anyone's help, doesn't want anyone's help, that's why she lived such a lonely life.' She looked back at Lain. 'You're just like her.'

'Maybe.' Lain whispered.

Reaching out one hand, Madge touched Lain's face. 'For once, let someone help you, even if it's a wuss like me.'

Lain's eyebrows furrowed. 'What did you do Madge?'

Madge shook her head. 'Just let me help you.'

'I don't need you to risk your life for me.' Lain said quietly. 'I don't.'

Madge just smiled, tears streaming down the side of her face. 'Rusty.'

Rusty looked up, surprised that she used his real name. He smiled. 'Yeah?'

'Take care of her for me.' Madge said weakly.

Rusty looked away. 'I'll try.'

'Lain.' Madge motioned for her to lean down. 'Let him help you Lain.' She whispered into her ear. 'He will help you, he wants to. You know he loves you, right?'

Lain nodded, biting her lower lip. 'I know.'

Madge closed her eyes, a smile on her lips. 'I know you do. I know…'

It was still dark and the only light came from the headlights of Rusty's car. Lowering her eyes slightly, Lain watched as Madge's hand slide away from hers and dropped onto the floor, leaving nothing but a blood stain on her palm. She died, right before her eyes, yet she didn't cry, couldn't even drop a tear.

She had a vague idea what she had done and her predictions proved to be right when she found the disc taped to the door this morning.

'You're not a wuss Madge.' Lain whispered, smiling down at the picture of her aunt and Marni. 'You helped me, you really did.'

Taking a deep breath, she put the photo face down onto her working table. Turning to her computer screen again, she started to set up barrier codes around the data. When she was finished, she entered a new data disc and copied the information. When it popped out again, she stuck a label onto it. Reaching for a pen, she hesitated before writing the words 'pipkins' on it.

She sat there for a few moments before flipping off the computer. Sitting up, she pressed her hand against the wound and walked out of the workshop, turning off the lights on her way. Giving it one more look, she closed the door and walked out. Pushing open the door to the master bedroom, she walked to the bed and sat down, picking up her discarded white jeans.

Pulling them on, she caught sight of the gun Rusty had given her yesterday, lying on the floor beside her feet. Picking it up, she stood and walked across the room, sticking the gun into her pants. Opening the closet, she took out a black tank top and bra. She looked down absently as she took off the oversized T-shirt she was wearing and put on the clothes. Turning around, she leaned against the opened closet and stared at the bed.

Rusty was still sleeping soundly on the bed, leaning onto his side, the sheets sliding down dangerously below his waist. He wasn't just handsome, he was gorgeous, dangerously gorgeous. No wonder Novita loved him so much.

Walking towards the bed, she sat on the edge and looked closer at Rusty's sleeping form. For a man, he had fair skin thought not as white as hers. She remembered holding him in her arms whenever he had dreams, sweat sliding down the side of his face. He would hold on to her unconsciously and relax. She would just look down at him for hours until the sun rose, wondering when all this would end, wondering what she had done in the past that deserved such a wonderful man.

He was wonderful, to die for. She knew it and was almost clear of the fact that she didn't deserve him. No, she had a past and a background, he wouldn't want to be dragged into it. He ended up doing so, and that changed everything.

Trailing her fingertips across his face, Lain's eyes landed on his thin lips. She touched them briefly before trailing them down his neck, touching the chain around. She widened her eyes slightly when his left hand suddenly flew up and grabbed her hand. She could feel the coldness from the wedding ring around his fourth finger. Reaching up, she fingered her own ring dangling from the silver chain.

Realizing that he was still asleep, Lain gently removed her hand from his. Leaning down, she placed a kiss on his forehead softly before standing up again. Stirring, Rusty rolled over face down, the sheets sliding over his butt.

Giving herself a smile, she took her white jacket off the rack and shrugged it on, wincing slightly at the wound on her arm, noting the blood stain on the left sleeve. Giving Rusty's sleeping form one more look, she stepped out and closed the door behind her soundlessly. Pulling on her white boots, she walked out of the apartment and took the steps, not wanting to wait for the lift.

'Good afternoon Miss.' The guard greeted her.

Lain gave him a small smile. 'Good afternoon.'

'It's been a long time since I've seen you and your husband come back home together.' He commented, raising his mug to his lips.

'Sure, I think I've never seen the two of you come home together. Isn't that strange?'

Lain nodded meaningly, exhaling loudly. 'It is strange.'

'Where are you heading off to?'

Lain raised the brown envelope up. 'I'm going to the post office.'

'Oh, well, have a good day.'

Bowing her head, Lain walked out of the building. Crossing the road, she decided to walk through the park. Kids were running around, chasing after each other. They were so innocent, so pure.

_'What is it with you? Can't you feel the joy? Huh? It's family time!' _

_'I don't want to be affected by this joy.' _

_'Why? You know, you're nothing but silent shit, I get bored living with you, you know.' _

_'I don't believe in joy, only pain.' _

_'Come on, no childhood memories?' _

_'I don't have a family.' _

_'I thought you had a sister.' _

_'It's family history. As I said, the less you know, the better, so shut up.' _

They hadn't exactly gotten along well when they first met. She had kept kicking herself for even thinking of saving him and he had been frustrated with being blind and having to live with a boring person like her. Even after the first night they slept together after the walk in the park, their relationship hadn't improved that much, but there was an understanding between them.

There had always been an understanding, and a high degree of tolerance between them. Till now, she still didn't know why she could tolerate Rusty sleeping with another woman, her sister no less. Madge had nagged her about it for two years straight.

She knew one thing, it hurt. It really did. Thought hurting, she didn't have the courage nor the energy to fight with that crazy 'sister' of hers. She also thought he had the freedom to have any affair he wanted since they're marriage was based on anything but love. Ironically, it wasn't till now did she realize that their marriage started with nothing _but_ love, it just didn't continue on like it should have, or like they both wanted it to have.

'I'm sorry.' Lain looked up when a ball hit her feet. Looking down, she saw a little boy rushing towards her. Leaning down, she picked up the ball and handed it to him.

'Here you go.' Lain said, giving him a small smile.

'Are you hurt?' The little boy asked, looking at her arm.

'Yeah, so you be careful when you play.' She ruffled the boy's hair a bit before he ran off again, shouting thank you over his shoulder. She couldn't help but feel bitter for herself when he ran back to his Mother and Father, the Mother with a baby girl in her arms.

'I really have no childhood.' Lain muttered to herself, smiling bitterly. Continuing her way, she was standing in front of the post office fifteen minutes later. Exhaling loudly, she walked in the air conditioned room and went to the counter.

'May I help you?' The man asked.

'I want to send this out.' Lain said, sliding the brown envelope across the counter. 'Courier express. I need it to be sent in by six this evening.'

'Which zone Miss?'

'Aprilius One ring 1.' Lain replied.

'No problem, please fill this out and stick it on the envelope.' The man weighted the envelope and told her the cost.

Thanking him, Lain walked to the self serving area and wrote out the information, including the recipient's name and the address. Sealing the envelope, she stuck the stamps on and handed it back the counter.

'ZAFT quarters?' The man looked up at her. 'It's my duty to tell you that all parcels sent to ZAFT related buildings will be screened through, as of security reasons, is that a problem?'

Lain shook her head. 'No.'

'If yes, please sign this sheet.' The man slide the form across the counter and Lain signed it.

'Thank you.' Lain said, handing the pen back to him.

'You're welcome, have a nice day.'

Stepping out of the post office, Lain raised one hand out to shade her eyes from the strong sunlight. She couldn't help but give herself another bitter smile.

When had she ever had a nice day?

* * *

He wanted to kill someone. Never in his life had he had such strong desire to kill someone, _actually _kill someone.

Sitting on the edge of the bed with only his boxers on, Rusty stared down at his cell phone, the green message alert light beeping. He had heard the message from Novtia and was on the verge of bolting. He just wanted to grab the nearest gun and go kill someone, anyone, better yet Novita van Ness.

Pressing the button again, Rusty held the phone to his ear.

_'If you want to see your wife again, meet me at my warehouse at midnight, no earlier, no later. Love you honey.' _

Gritting his teeth, Rusty fought the urge to ram the cell phone into the wall. What was Lain thinking and where the hell did she go?

Shooting up, Rusty marched out of the room and went down to Lain's workshop, frowning at the dark room, he flipped open the lights. Looking around, he wasn't that surprised to find her working desk scattered with printed materials and data discs. Walking forward, he picked up a disc that had the label 'M.P.' on it. Pausing for just a second, he quickly sat down and flipped open the computer. Popping the data disc in, he quickly broke the codes. Sitting back with crossed arms, he stared at the data before him.

'She wouldn't…' Rusty looked sideways. She wouldn't have sent this information to her… would she?

Rusty's eyebrows furrowed as he caught sight of a lose piece of paper slipped under the glass of water. Picking it up, he felt his heart skip a beat at the address and name printed on it.

'Damn it!' Rusty cursed out loud.

Was she crazy? No wonder Novita took her away. He had no doubt that Novita already knew what Lain had done and with that said, he had absolutely no idea what Novita would do to her within the next seven or so hours.

Standing up, Rusty started pacing the room. He had to do something before midnight, something…

He suddenly looked up and shot a glance at his cell phone. Sitting back down on the chair, he started typing away, using Lain's connections to hack into PLANT's communication systems. His eyes kept scanning the data rolling before his eyes until he caught sight of the one he wanted.

Grabbing his cell, he keyed in the number blinking on the screen, sitting on the desk with one foot on the chair, he waited patiently until a nostalgic voice answered it.

'Yzak Jule.'

Rusty narrowed his eyes slightly, not saying anything.

'Who the hell is this?' the person on the other line suddenly shouted impatiently. Rusty winced at his age old temper. Some things _never_ change.

'How's the shot? It didn't put you in a coma did it?' Rusty asked after taking a deep breath.

The other line went deathly quiet.

'Rusty?' Yzak asked in a shaky voice.

'Yeah.' Rusty smirked, digging one hand into his hair.

'Wh – why?' Was all Yzak could say.

'Why am I calling?' Rusty tried, raising his eyebrows. 'Or why did I shoot you? Or maybe how did I get your number?'

'All.' Yzak grunted.

'I don't have time here.' Rusty said shortly.

'You don't, but _I_ do.' Yzak snapped back. 'You owe us a_ lot_ of explanations Rusty MacKenzie.'

'I do.' Rusty admitted. 'And before I explain everything, which I'm willing to do so from this point onwards, I want your help.'

'What help?' Yzak asked in a skeptical tone.

'My wife sent out something.' Rusty said.

'So?'

'She sent out something highly confidential to your most trusted subordinate.' Rusty said flatly.

The other line went silent again.

'Are you sure?' Yzak asked uncertainly. 'Is that even possible?'

'Trust me.' Rusty hopped off the table. 'It's possible. I think you're still ignorant of the relationship between her and my wife.'

'That's crazy.' Yzak snarled. 'There's no way – '

'Yzak!' Rusty snapped. 'Hear me out.'

'You're the one talking.' Yzak muttered.

'I need your help.' Rusty said quietly.

'Yeah, you call me out of the blue after three fucking years when we all thought you were dead, shooting the hell out of me, almost ripping down the headquarters and now you're asking me a favor? You should be smarter than this MacKenzie, the least you can do is – '

'Please.' Rusty interrupted in an almost pleading tone. 'I don't have time.'

Rusty heard Yzak sigh loudly. 'Fine, but you owe me a god damn – '

'Explanation.' Rusty finished for him. 'I'll work that out.'

* * *

Racing downhill at a hundred and thirty kilometers per hour, Rusty could only squint his eyes at the wind, his headlights being his only guide in the pitch black road. Stopping his car at the entrance of an old warehouse that belonged to Nessar illegally, he pulled the breaks and stared up at it for a while before opening the car door, stepping out.

Digging his hands into the pockets of his deep blue trench coat, he wasn't at all surprised when the door opened before he even knocked.

'Mr. Enzia, Miss Novita is waiting.' Vail bowed his head slightly, a lit cigarette in his mouth.

Shooting him a glance, Rusty stepped into the warehouse, watching form the corner of his eyes as Vail closed the door with a loud bang. There was a moment of darkness before the hall lit up with candles. He waited for his heartbeat to calm down from the sudden darkness before proceeding with Vail leading the way. Though old and dingy on the outside, the inside was exquisitely decorated, a personal style of Novita van Ness.

'This way please.' Vail said when he saw Rusty stop in his tracks. Nodding, he followed him until they reached the double doors at the end of the hall. Smirking, Vail pushed open the doors and motioned for Rusty to enter.

Pausing, Rusty stepped into a warehouse that was filled with stock wrapped in plastic. The boxes were all moved aside, forming a large area in the middle. Steel stairs led the way up to the tiers where doors could be seen locked.

In the large middle area, candles were lit everywhere, producing a faint lavender scent. A long glass table was set in the middle with two filled wine glasses on either side. Novita was sitting at one end facing Rusty, wearing her usual low cut halter top and low waist leather pants, leaving her midriff bare. A little different from usual, she had a jacket draped across her shoulders and Rusty could faintly see a gun sticking in the inside pocket of it.

'Sit sweetie.' Novita smiled at him with her legs crossed. 'It's been a long time hasn't it?'

'You've made that complaint to me before Novita.' Rusty said in a joking tone, sitting down. Bowing his head slightly, Vail retreated, closing the door behind him quietly.

'Have some wine, it's nice.' Novita said, raising the glass to his lips. 'Don't worry, I didn't put anything in it.'

Rusty shrugged. 'Either way, you're going to make me drink it.'

'To be honest, I'm a little disappointed Russ.' Novita said quietly, setting the glass down.

'Why?' Rusty asked, eyeing her, crossing his legs.

'Because I needed to use Lain to make you come see me.' Novita pouted.

Rusty just stared at her, the rim of the glass touching his lips.

'To tell you the truth,' Novita leaned forward slightly, 'I'm jealous of her.'

Rusty's lips curved into a smirk. 'What does she have that makes you so jealous Novita?'

Novita dropped her smile. 'You.'

'I didn't know I was that influential.' Rusty murmured, looking at her straight in the eye.

Novita traced the rim of her glass with her index finger. 'Quasim asked me why I'm so crazy about you. I asked myself the same question and listed everything I could that was good about you. The list just goes on and on… what have you done to me Russ?'

'I'm flattered.' Rusty smiled. 'But I don't deserve it.'

'You deserve it.' Novita said promptly, standing up. 'You deserve so much more than Lain. You deserve me. What Lain has done will put Nessar through hell and with your connection to her, Father will kill you, he really will.'

'What did she do?' Rusty asked innocently.

Novita narrowed her eyes. 'Something that may end Nessar.'

'End Nessar?' Rusty repeated.

'Leave with me.' Novita said in a low voice, walking up to him. Sitting down on the table in front of him, she fingered the collar of his trench coat absently. 'Don't ruin your career because of her.'

'I thought you said Nessar was going to end because of what she did.' Rusty said in feign confusion.

Novita snorted. 'My Father's not that stupid, he's got his plans, he's going to make it like a piece of cake.' She leaned forward. 'I know you don't want to work for my Father, I know you don't want to be an assassin. Leave with me, I'll guarantee a comfortable life for you, a life without killing, without Nessar. I can give you so much more Russ, start a new life with me.' Novita's lips were inches before his. 'You know I've fallen in love with you.'

'I know.' Rusty whispered back, narrowing his eyes. 'But I haven't.'

Clenching her teeth, Novita reached into her jacket and whipped out her pistol, pointing it at Rusty's forehead. 'Why? I've given you the chance! Why aren't you taking it!'

Rusty watched while standing up as she backed away, her gun trained on his head. 'Why? You're asking me why? You should know the answer Novita, you knew the answer when you took Lain away from me!'

'I don't know!' Novita cried. 'All I want is you! Only you! I can do anything for you, anything! I'm even willing to give up everything I have just for you! Can Lain do it? Can she give up everything for you? She can't even fulfill the duty of a wife! If she had, you wouldn't have come to me in the first place!'

Rusty narrowed his eyes at Novita. 'You're pathetic Novita, you have a serious security issue.'

'I don't!' Novita screamed, the jacket sliding off her shoulders. 'I have everything Lain has! I'm better than Lain in so many ways! Why can't you accept me? Why are you giving me false hope and pushing me away like this now? I trusted you, I didn't believe what Quasim told me! I knew that you'd come back to me and now what? You're pushing me away! Do you know how much I've have done for you? You can't do this to me!'

'I love her.' Rusty said quietly, watching as Novita widened her eyes. 'I'm sorry if I've given you false hope, I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression, but I don't feel anything towards you Novita. I love my wife and I've always had, right from the very beginning, even before you came along. To tell you the truth, I think about her when I'm sleeping with you, she's the only person who can – '

'Stop it!' Novita shouted, pulling the trigger. Rusty kept his eyes trained on her, a bullet hole in the wall behind him. 'Don't insult me Russ Enzia, she's nothing compared to me. You're mine! Mine! If I can't have you, if I can't make your heart mine, no one can! Not even that fucking sister of mine!'

Reaching into her pocket, she took out the chain that had Lain's wedding dangling from it. Rusty eyes turned into a dangerous shade of gray at the blood stain on it. Throwing it down onto the floor, she grinded her heel into the wedding band until it broke it half, glaring at Rusty with tears in her eyes.

Turning around, she pointed her gun at a hidden camera at the corner.

'Kill her.'

* * *

Never in her life has she been this unfocused. She tried to focus, but couldn't and blamed it on the unbearable pain that was shooting through her body after so much whipping. Her wrist had already gone numb from the hours of being hung in mid air, the coarse rope burning into her skin, blood staining the knot.

Surprisingly, even such brutal pain did not make her teary, let alone cry. She felt sorry for Novita though, having to vent her frustration on someone else, just because she couldn't get what she wanted.

After being gagged and dragged into a black van, Lain had fainted and when she woke up again, she was already hung in midair with Novita glaring up at her with a wipe in her hand. Lain had a very good idea of what she wanted to do, but somehow, no sense of fear got her.

Novita didn't say anything, just whipped her, trying to make her scream her lungs out, trying to make her beg. She didn't, even when the whip hit her neck and almost got her face. That blow, however, did rip her ring necklace off. Having very sharp eyes, Novita immediately stepped forward and picked up the ring. Without another word, she spun on her heel and left, ordering Anja and another of her sidekicks to watch over her.

Novita didn't do anything for just personal reasons, Lain wouldn't be surprised that she already knew what she had sent out and whom she sent it to. Lain knew Nessar wouldn't fall that easily, but it would be a huge blow to the foundation of it. It was really the least she could do, revenge or not.

She felt breathless now and could barely feel her body at all. The only thing she could feel was the blood that seemed to be oozing from every part of her body and sliding down, dripping onto the cold steel floor. Faintly, she could hear voices shouting from the speaker, but she couldn't make anything out of it. She must have been dreaming when she thought she heard Rusty's voice.

_I'm dreaming. _She thought, biting her lower lip._ I'm just dreaming… _

'Kill her.' A very sharp voice suddenly rang from the speaker. When Lain managed to open her eyes slightly and focus, she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

'Sorry Miss Lain.' Anja said expressionlessly. 'Orders from Miss Novita.'

'Don't say sorry.' Lain said in a bare whisper. 'There's nothing you _are_ sorry for.'

Swallowing down a lump, Anja was about to pulled the trigger when at the same time, another gunshot was heard from behind him. Lain squeezed her eyes shut as the bullet brushed across her right calve and hit a box behind her. Lain could hear the stack of boxes collapse. When she opened her eyes again, Anja was already lying on the floor, groaning in pain, his right hand and both knees bleeding from the bullet shots.

Trying to take in a deep breath, Lain squinted her eyes slightly as a figure stepped from the shadows near the door, behind the computer desk.

'There's a time for _me_ to save _your_ ass after all.'

'And there's a time for you to be sarcastic too, Shiho.' Lain murmured.

Shiho Hahnenfuss stared up at her, the gun in her hand still steaming with smoke.

'Are you here to save me or to mock me.' Lain asked in a whisper, looking down at the brunette.

Shiho raised her eyebrows. 'I'm here to return a favor.' Turning, she aimed the gun at the switch that held the rope in place. Lain almost cried out loud at the sudden drop before Shiho grabbed hold of her.

'I didn't do this to you four years ago.' Lain muttered.

'You got a better plan?' Shiho grunted while untying her.

Lain held her hand up, stopping Shiho from moving. 'Let me just stay for a bit, I can't move.' When she finally found her breath again, she looked at Shiho sideways. 'Why are you here?'

'I got your data.' Shiho replied, holding up her cell phone. 'Pipkins?'

Lain frowned. 'I didn't tell you to come looking for me.'

'You didn't, but intelligence did.' Shiho said quietly. 'MacKenzie's here.'

Lain just looked at her.

'Can you stand?' Shiho asked.

'Yeah, I think.' Lain winced in pain as Shiho held her up to her feet. 'Are you here just to return a favor?'

Shiho shrugged. 'I'm here to return a lot of favors.'

'What did you do to him?' Lain asked as they walked past Anja.

'He's not going to die, if that's what you're asking about.' Shiho muttered. 'Though I did want to kill him.'

'Where's Rusty?' Lain suddenly asked, grabbing Shiho by the arm.

Shiho looked down at her for a moment, pausing. 'We have to leave this place from the back.'

'Where's Rusty?' Lain repeated, tightening her grip on Shiho's arm, blood staining her light colored jacket.

Before Shiho could answer, another gunshot rang from the other side of the steel walls, a voice dying from the static speakers on the table.

'If you don't love me, then I'll make you love me in your death.'

**End of Chapter 11**

**A/N:** For those who wanted Eneta from 'Rebound' to be a controlling psycho, here's Novita van Ness for you. For those who are dying to know who's the female lead in GSA III, you can make a pretty good guess in this chapter. For those who want me to post the last chapter, review. Enjoy.


	13. Chapter 12

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: **This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**Chapter 12**

'If you don't love me, then I'll make you love me in your death!' Novita hissed, tears streaming down her face.

'Then kill me.' Rusty said flatly. 'I'm standing right in front of you, kill me.'

'Damn you!' Novita screamed.

Rusty closed his eyes and turned his head at the painful sting across his right shoulder. All was going on so fast he could only see Novita step forward, blood oozing out of her chest. Just as Novita turned around, another shot went through her forehead and she fell back from the force.

Time seemed to pause as Rusty stared down at Novita's dead body, blood pouring around her head, staining her dyed hair. Looking up again, he found himself staring into familiar bright amber eyes. Lain was standing there, looking at him with a gun in her hand, smoke coming out of it. She gave him a small smile before lowering in the gun. Rusty felt his voice caught in his throat as he watched her fall back, the gun falling from her gloved hand.

'Lain!' Shiho gasped and fell to the floor at Lain's weight. She patted her blood stained cheek. 'Lain, hang in there! Lain!'

'Let me.' Rusty walked up to them, stepping across Novita's dead body. Kneeling down, he took off his trench coat and wrapped it around Lain. Just then, the doors at the tier burst open with men armed with shot guns.

Among them, Vail stared down at Novita's dead body. 'Damn you Enzia, you killed her?'

'Not me.' Rusty said, looking up at him. 'Her sister killed her.'

'You're not going to get away with this Enzia, you and your bitch.' Vail growled, holding his hand up. 'Fire – '

'You're not going to win with a handgun!' Rusty yelled over the noise, dodging behind one of the boxes with Lain in her arms.

'Shut up.' Shiho bawled. Loading her gun again, she poked her head out from the box and aimed at Vail's legs, watching as he fell down onto his knees.

'They don't work like the military.' Rusty hissed. 'They – look out!' He pulled Shiho back by the collar.

Just then, a loud explosion could be heard. Hugging Lain to him tightly, he watched as the tier collapsed, smoke filling the area.

'Jesus…' Shiho stood up, coughing at the smoke. Turning around, she widened her eyes at the door.

'Right on time, am I not?' Yzak asked, raising his eyebrows, tossing a small remote in his hand.

Shiho looked away, gripping her gun tightly.

'You could have made your timing better.' Rusty muttered, standing up.

'Let's go, LF's going to be here soon and you can't let them be seen or you'll be charged.' Yzak motioned his head towards the entrance. 'My car's out front.'

'Let's go.' Rusty murmured, picking Lain up. When he walked past Vail's knocked out body, he couldn't help but give his head a hard kick, glaring down at him. 'My name's not Russ Enzia, asshole. My name's Rusty MacKenzie.'

Yzak couldn't help but smirk. 'Let's go, Rusty MacKenzie.'

Walking out of the warehouse, Shiho took out a grenade and eyed Rusty. 'You don't mind, do you?'

Rusty just shrugged as Yzak opened the car door for him. 'Be my guest.'

Pulling at the safety lock, Shiho threw it at Rusty's convertible. Watching it burst into flames, she climbed into the front seat of Yzak's sedan. 'They're going to come any minute.'

Yzak took a deep breath while gunning the engine, shooting a glance at Rusty through the rear mirror. 'Let's get the hell out of here. Dearka's _so_ going to kill me.'

Holding Lain close to him, Rusty took off Lain's glove and took her hand in his. Feeling Lain's fingers move against his, he watched as she wrapped one finger around his wedding ring.

'It's going to be alright.' Rusty could only whisper as he tightened his grip around her. 'Hang in there.'

* * *

'Rusty, calm down, you're making me dizzy.' Yzak scowled, peeling a banana.

'Calm down? You're telling me to calm down?' Rusty glared at him while pacing the room.

Yzak just smirked, taking a bite of his banana. 'The doc's doing her job, so shush.'

Rusty threw his hands up in the air. 'I can't believe – ' he stopped and narrowed his eyes at Yzak. 'You're really enjoying this aren't you?'

Yzak looked at him innocently. 'What do you mean I'm _enjoying _this?'

'You're _so_ enjoying this.' Rusty scowled.

Yzak shrugged, trying hard not to smile. 'I just find the role reversal ironic, that's all.'

'One of these days, I'm really going to kill you.' Rusty muttered.

Yzak just raised his eyebrows. 'You've had your chance and you blew it. Face it Rusty, you don't want to kill us.'

Rusty could only glare at him. They both looked up when Shiho stepped out of the bathroom.

'She's still in there?' Shiho asked.

'Yeah.' Yzak cast a glance at the closed door. 'They've been in there for two hours, must be pretty serious.'

Shiho sat down on the sofa beside the dining table, holding one hand against her forearm. 'She's been whipped like a horse, you think?'

Yzak eyed Shiho. 'Don't freak him out more than he already is Major.'

Gritting her teeth, Shiho looked away, crossing her arms.

'Don't worry Rusty, she's going to live.' Yzak said, crossing his arms.

The door clicked open, a woman in a white robe stepping out of the room.

'How is she?' Shiho asked, standing up.

'She's going to live.' She said, taking off her plastic gloves. 'I had to stitch her up though, her back's like broken. She's going to have to rest for at least three months.'

'Not a problem.' Yzak said. 'This place's practically a hospital.'

'Yes.' The doctor eyed Yzak. 'I'll come back tomorrow to check on her, okay?'

'Thanks.' Rusty muttered.

'See, I told you she'd live.' Yzak raised his eyebrows at Rusty.

'I'm a little confused here, what is this place?' Rusty asked.

'This is my grandmother's apartment.' Yzak replied, sitting down on the sofa. 'It used to be under her name, well, still _is._ She had to lie in bed for most of the day but she didn't like staying at a hospital so we sort of set one up for her in her apartment. You're going to be safe in here and you can trust the doc, she use to work for my Father before he died.'

'Thank you.' Rusty said quietly, running one hand through his hair.

'Go check out the lady, I'll come back later.' Yzak pointed one finger at him. 'You still owe me an explanation, don't forget it MacKenzie.'

Rusty gave him a small smile and pointed a finger back. 'I won't, trust me.'

Yzak and Shiho were silent as they watched Rusty enter the room. Grabbing her jacket, Shiho shrugged it on carefully, avoiding the wound she got wrapped up.

'I'll take off then.' Shiho said quietly, tossing her hair of the jacket.

Yzak sat there on the sofa, watching sideways as Shiho opened the door and stepped out. He continued sitting there, staring at the door. Clenching his teeth, he suddenly sprang up and threw the door open. Looking around, he saw Shiho walking across the parking lot. Cursing, he flew down the stairs and caught up with her, turning her around by her good arm.

'I'll take you back home.' Yzak said.

'I can go home by myself.' Shiho said, refusing to look at him.

'You didn't drive, you're not in the city and you've got a bad arm.' Yzak grunted. 'Just let me take you home.'

'Let go Commander.' Shiho said flatly, staring down at his arm.

'Shiho!'

At the use of her first name, Shiho snatched her arm away and slapped Yzak in the face before she could even stop herself. She paused before opening her mouth. 'Don't use my name!'

Yzak stared at her, touching his heated face with one hand. 'I just – '

'I can go home by myself.' Shiho said in a controlled voice, looking away. 'I'll see you tomorrow at work, goodbye Commander Jule.'

Yzak glared at her back and watched her turn the corner. Unable to contain the frustration building within him, Yzak gave the tire of his car a kick and punched on the side. Closing his eyes, he counted to ten, gritting his teeth.

If he gave up, he wouldn't be Yzak Jule.

* * *

_Three Months later_

Lain held herself against the door frame, wincing at the pain shooting up her back. A bit dizzy, she paused at the door before taking slow steps, holding her head with one hand and the wall with the other. Shooting a glance at the wall clock, it read five fifteen and it was already starting to get dark outside.

Turning her head, she saw Rusty sitting on the barcalounger in front of the TV, his trench coat draped across his shoulders. He seemed to be fast asleep and had his head rolled to one side. Swallowing down a lump in her throat, Lain walked her way to the bathroom and pushed open the door slowly, not wanting to wake him up.

Stepping in slowly, she looked up and found herself staring at dull amber eyes. Taking a deep breath, she turned on the tap and washed her hands, leaning her elbows on the counter to stop from collapsing. She was still so tired and all energy was drained from her body. Staring down at the loose over sized T shirt she was wearing, she grimaced at her smell. Before she made a move to remove it, the door opened again.

'What do you think you're doing?' Rusty asked accusingly, crossing his arms.

Lain stared at him for a while before looking down. 'I want to take a shower.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Alone?'

'Alone.' Lain confirmed, shooting a glance at him.

'In your dreams.' Rusty muttered. Walking up to her, he held her by the arms. 'If you really want to take a shower, I'll help you. It has been three months and the doc said you could start taking showers, only with someone's help. You're going to slip and bang your head into something in here. I already owe Yzak a lot of money.'

'Well, I'm sorry for you.' Lain scoffed.

Ignoring her comment, Rusty grabbed the hem of her long T-shirt and pulled it off her. Wrapping one arm over her shoulders, he steadied her before pulling her white cotton panties down to her thighs. 'Sit down.'

Gritting her teeth, Lain sat down on the side of the tub carefully, trying to ignore the fact that she was next to naked with Rusty kneeling at her feet.

Pulling her panties down her legs, Rusty tossed it into the hamper. Glancing at her, he picked her up and placed her into the tub, her back facing him. Stepping into the tub with only shorts and a tank top on, he sat at the edge and positioned her between his legs. He was about to reach for the shower when Lain grabbed his left hand.

'You're going to get yourself wet.' Lain protested weakly, turning her head.

'I've got clothes to wear.' Rusty said. 'Unless you want me to wash with you… Lain?'

Lain took a deep breath and let go of his hand. 'If you say so.'

Rusty's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he turned on the shower. Leading her head back slightly, he rinsed her silky locks and started washing it with shampoo, massaging her scalp gently.

'Gods your hair's freaking long.' Rusty muttered, running his fingers down.

'I didn't ask you to wash it for me.' Lain muttered, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

Rusty just pursed his lips at the comment and twisted her hair like a cloth, watching as water squeezed out. Reaching for the shower, he gently rinsed Lain's body, running his hand over her scarred skin softly. He couldn't help but twist his eyebrows at the dark scars on her shoulder and her back. The shower dropping from his hand, he knelt down on the tub and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.

'Rusty?' Lain turned her head slightly, touching his arm, feeling his soaked tank top on her back.

Rusty buried his face into her neck, his spiky red locks brushing across her sensitive skin. After a while, he let go of her. 'Turn around.'

'What?'

'Turn around.' Rusty repeated impatiently, his hands on her shoulders. Grunting, Lain turned around slowly with his help and looked down.

Reaching for the shower, he continued his unfinished work.

'My face.' Lain reminded, staring up at him. Nodding, he ran his wet palms across her cheeks and forehead. Resting his thumb on either side of her face, he messaged it gently, their eyes locked the whole time. Stepping out of the tub, he grabbed a towel and carried her out of the tub. Placing her down on her feet, he toweled her off and wrapped a white robe around her, tying the knot loosely.

'Wait.' Rusty held his hand up before Lain could say anything. She turned her head away when Rusty peeled off his wet clothes and toweled himself.

'Aren't you going to put something on?' Lain asked.

'My clothes are in the room.' Rusty said, looking at her in amusement. 'You're not shy are you?'

'No.' Lain murmured.

'Well, if that's the case…' Rusty leaned down and picked her up. Opening the door, he walked across the living room butt naked.

'You'll want to kill yourself if your friends come in at this moment.' Lain muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself.

'Don't worry, I'll kill them before I kill myself.' Rusty said in a joking tone. Placing her down on the bed, he opened a drawer and took out some clothes, throwing a pair of boxers and a red T-shirt on.

'Don't I get to wear anything?' Lain asked with a frown.

'White cotton panties?' Rusty offered, dangling a pair from his fingers.

Lain rolled her eyes in attempts to cover her embarrassment. 'Whatever.'

Smirking to himself, he took out one of his shirts before closing the drawer. Untying the knot, he slid the robe off her slowly in order to avoid friction with her wounds. He quickly dressed her up, not wanting her to feel cold.

'Hungry?' Rusty asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Lain shook her head. 'I'm a little thirsty though.'

'I'll get you some water.' Rusty made a move to stand but stopped when Lain held her arms out.

'I want to go out to.' Lain said.

Sighing, Rusty picked her up again and carried her out into the living room. Setting her down on the sofa, he went to the kitchen and poured her a glass of water. Handing it to her, he sat on the coffee table, watching her sip from the glass.

'What?' Lain asked, trying to hide her face behind the cup.

'Déjà vu?' Rusty asked back, leaning forward slightly.

'More or less.' Lain shrugged. 'You drove me crazy during those five months.'

'And then you fell in love with me.' Rusty said promptly.

Lain looked at him in the eye, then turned her head. 'Maybe.'

Smirking, Rusty sat down beside her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Exhaling softly, Lain leaned her head on Rusty's shoulder.

'The scars are going to heal.' Rusty said softly, caressing her arm. 'Your skin's going to be flawless again.'

Lain just nodded, leaning into him more, holding the glass with both hands.

'You want to ask me a lot of questions.' Rusty said.

Lain nodded.

'It's all going to work out, don't worry.' Leaning the side of his face on her head, Rusty closed his eyes.

'Rusty.' Lain gave his T-shirt a gentle pull. Opening his eyes, Rusty smiled at the snow falling outside the window, lacing his fingers through hers.

Looking down at their entwined hands, Lain couldn't help but finger his now bare fourth finger. Sighing, she closed her eyes relaxed against his warm body, falling into a deep sleep.

Never in her life had she felt so secure and belonged.

* * *

'Now that I've given you my explanation, it's high time you give me some stuff on the current situation out there.' Rusty crossed his arms and looked at the three men before him.

Yzak, Dearka and Athrun managed a three-way glance. Sitting on the barcalounger, Lain looked down while Shiho crossed her legs on the floor.

'Well,' Yzak cleared his voice. 'Nessar's not completely down, if that's what your asking about.'

'That's to be expected.' Rusty grunted, shooting a glance at Lain.

'Well, they've basically gone underground.' Dearka said. 'But Herze van Ness has been charged, along with his number one sidekick Daires something, thanks to Athrun's intelligence from Orb of course.'

Athrun just shrugged.

'Yeah, I saw that on the news.' Rusty said flatly. 'Anything else?'

'It's Quasim isn't it?' Lain said suddenly.

'Well… yeah.' Yzak sighed. 'With Novita van Ness dead and all, Quasim van Ness is basically the only one around to keep the business working. Their narcotics business has come to a halt because the warehouse was taken by LF and because Herze van Ness held all the business in hand.'

'They've even taken their headquarters away from PLANT.' Dearka continued. 'They've now basically turned to firearms and sex trafficking.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Sex trade? They've been expanding it for some time.'

Dearka nodded. 'That's all I've got from LF, they've put everything under confidential and I'm not in the mood to hack their database.'

Rusty turned to Athrun. 'Anything from you?'

Athrun shook his head. 'No, I've got nothing.'

Rusty frowned. 'Then why are you here?'

Athrun gave him a smirk. 'I just wanted to see if you're still in one piece and listen to this "explanation" of yours.'

'Well, are you satisfied with it?' Rusty asked.

Athrun shrugged. 'It was okay.'

'Okay?' Yzak snarled. 'He practically shot my head off!'

'Get over it Yzak.' Dearka rolled his eyes. 'It's Rusty MacKenzie we're talking about, do you know how much money you lost to him during our academy days?'

Rusty couldn't help but give out a laugh. 'Man did you turn into a cry baby when you lost.'

'I did _not._' Yzak said through clenched teeth.

'You did.' Rusty said, raising his eyebrows. 'And you still owe me two hundred bucks.'

Yzak crossed his arms. 'And how much do _you_ owe _me_?'

Rusty looked up. 'Call it even?'

'What are you going to do about the two of us?' Lain asked, leaning forward.

Yzak sighed. 'To be honest, I can easily give Rusty back his identity and – '

'There's no way I'm going back to ZAFT.' Rusty cut in.

'I didn't ask you to.' Yzak shot back. 'Anyway, you can use your name again, the system's easy to hack but I won't change the data from ZAFT's database, so you'll basically be just another Rusty MacKenzie.'

'How about Lain?' Rusty asked.

'That's where the problem comes.' Dearka said. 'There's no way you'll be able to use the name van Ness again.'

'I know.' Lain said quietly.

'It won't be a problem, changing your name, but…' Yzak's voice trailed.

'But what?' Rusty asked sharply.

'I want you two to do me a favor.' Yzak leaned forward.

'What favor?' Lain asked.

'I don't want to waste those talents of yours.' Yzak said. 'I want you two to help me, just occasionally. Mainly intelligence.' Yzak narrowed his eyes. 'Like what you did for Hahnenfuss.'

Lain looked at him briefly before smirking. 'You do know how to make a bargain Mr. Jule.'

Yzak shrugged. 'I'm lucrative. I'll guarantee your safety from Nessar _and_ LF, do we have a deal?'

Rusty shot a glance at Lain, who shrugged.

'Are you going to let us live here?' Rusty asked.

Yzak smiled, shaking his head. 'As long as you want.'

Rusty nodded. 'Now _that's_ lucrative.'

'Shiho.' Lain called.

Looking up, Shiho looked at Lain.

'Can you help me up, I want to get something from my room.' Lain raised her eyebrows at the silent girl.

Nodding, Shiho stood up and helped Lain to her feet.

'You're not going to help?' Dearka asked as they disappeared into the room.

'Nah.' Rusty shook his head. 'They want to talk, let them be.'

'You know, I still can't believe you're married dude, married!' Dearka shook his head.

Rusty frowned. 'Excuse me?'

'You did throw us off guard Rusty.' Athrun said. 'Who marries at eighteen?'

'I do.' Rusty said promptly. 'And I plan on being married to her for the rest of my life.'

Athrun laughed. 'We're not saying you can't.'

'If anyone should be worried, it should be Yzak.' Dearka said, shooting a glance at his friend and commander.

'Oh?' Rusty raised his eyebrows at Yzak.

'Don't listen to him.' Was all Yzak said as he stood up and walked to the bathroom.

Inside, Lain sat down slowly on her bed.

'You wanted to talk?' Shiho asked, sitting down on the chair.

'We're even aren't we?' Lain asked, looking out at the window, snow flurrying down.

'You can say that.' Shiho shrugged, crossing her legs.

'Do you have someone to kiss at midnight?' Lain asked.

Shiho growled. 'What are you talking about?'

Lain raised her eyebrows. 'It's new years eve.' She sighed when Shiho refused to response. 'It's been four years Shiho, let it go. So what if it really was your fault, she's not going to live again and neither will Jule care if she lived. She's dead.'

'It's not that simple Lain.' Shiho muttered. 'There's just… too much.'

'Maybe there is.' Lain looked up. 'I just hope you know what you're giving up, or do you really_ want_ to give it up.'

'What do you know?' Shiho muttered, looking away.

'I know nothing, ' Lain admitted, 'you're the only one who knows.'

Looking up, Shiho pursed her lips. 'Aren't you supposed to be the cold and uncaring one?'

Lain gave her a smirk. 'And I still am.'

Taking a deep breath, Shiho nodded, giving Lain a pat on the shoulder. 'I'm going to take off.'

'Think about it.' Lain called before Shiho stepped out of the door.

She turned and smiled. 'Take care, I'll call you some other time.'

Lain smiled as the door closed. Reaching up, she touched her chest.

'How're you feeling?' Rusty asked, stepping into the room.

'I'm okay.' Lain said quietly, giving him a small smile.

Returning the smile, Rusty sat beside her. Lain leaned onto him, wrapping one arm around his waist.

'Rusty.'

'Hmm?'

Lain paused before shaking her head. 'Nothing.'

Smiling down at her, Rusty took a deep breath. 'What is it?'

Lain looked up at him. 'I want to go out.'

Rusty raised his eyebrows. 'Go out?'

Lain nodded. 'Out, anywhere.'

'I remember someone locking me in the house for three months straight.' Rusty smirked.

'You were blind then.' Lain muttered, poking him in the chest.

'You really want to go out?' Rusty asked.

Lain nodded.

'Then I'll take you out.'

* * *

Lain could see the breath before her as she pulled her coat closer. Walking up to the barrier, she looked down at the magnificent scenery before her.

'They'll love this place.' Lain whispered.

'Here.' Rusty walked up to her with two jars in his hands.

Taking the bigger one, Lain looked down at it. 'We did the right thing didn't we? I did the right thing, right?'

'You did.' Rusty said quietly.

Looking up, Lain opened the jar and tilted it slightly, letting the wind blow the ashes away. Rusty did the same thing with the other one, the sky before them darkened all of a sudden.

'Say hey to Mother for me Madge.' Lain whispered, dropping the jar onto the floor. 'You too, Marni.'

'You think they'll rest in peace?' Rusty asked, looking down.

'They will.' Lain whispered, watching as the sky cleared again. 'They will.'

They stood there in silence, watching as the ashes blew further and further away until they disappeared completely.

'Lain.'

'Hmm?' Lain turned around and saw Rusty staring at her. Feeling her heart skip a beat, she looked away.

Stepping forward, he brushed the back of his hand against her cold cheeks. Sliding his hand down her sleeve, he took her hand in his, holding it up. 'Marry me.'

Lain looked down at the pair of brand new wedding bands lying on his palm. Smiling, she looked up. 'I already have.'

Taking the ring that had her name engraved, she flipped Rusty's hand over and slipped it onto his four finger. She held out the other ring and raised her eyebrows. 'Your turn?'

Rusty's lips curved into a smile. Taking the ring from her, he lifted her hand up and slipped it onto her finger. Holding onto it for a while, he suddenly pulled her forward, enveloping her into a hug.

'A new start?' Rusty whispered into her ear.

Lain pulled away and looked into his eyes. Reaching out one hand, she brushed some of his spiky red locks out of his eyes. 'A new start.'

Brushing her fingers across Rusty's lips, she leaned forward and kissed him. Deepening the kiss, Rusty opened his coat, wrapping it around her as snow started to fall around them.

A white canvas soon surrounded them. They were like a piece of white paper now, the past behind them, erased. There was no Nessar, no Herze van Ness, Novita van Ness… they were going to start all over again, start from square one. There will no longer be questions of the past, only questions of the future.

The future where they belonged to each other. Together.

**End of Chapter 12**


	14. Chapter 13

_**DISCLAIMER: **'Repercussion' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, SUNRISE and MBS. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork._

_**WARNING: **Text and all related materials are rated **R/M** and may mild strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape, death and nudity unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed._

_**NOTE: ** This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please go to gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net for site hosting of this fic. For Dearka and Miriallia's story, please go to 'GS Aftermath Trilogy I: Rebound'. _

Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II:  
**REPERCUSSION  
**a hermit junction project

**EPILOGUE**

'Yzak.'

'You got the parcel right?' Yzak asked on the other line.

Rusty paused, crossing his legs on the sofa, the materials spread out in front of him on the coffee table. 'Yeah.'

'Is everything in there okay?' Yzak continued.

'Yeah.' Rusty smiled, picking up the wedding certificate. 'Where did you get it?'

'From your old apartment.' Yzak said flatly. 'I had the whole place cleared off and everything destroyed except for that, I thought you'd want to keep it.'

'Thank you.' Was all Rusty could say.

'Don't thank me because you're going to do some serious payback in the future Rusty.' Yzak warned. 'And I mean serious.'

Rusty gave a short laugh. 'You got it.'

'I'll see you later.' With that, the connection was cut. He was still staring down at his cell phone when the bathroom door opened.

'What are you doing?' Lain asked, a towel wrapped around her body, her long black hair clipped up loosely.

Rusty looked up and smiled at Lain. 'Yzak sent me a parcel.'

Lain raised her eyebrows. 'A parcel?' She complied when Rusty motioned for her sit down beside him.

She took the identity card and passport from Rusty. 'Lain MacKenzie?' She looked at Rusty warily. 'You did this?'

Rusty shook his head violently. 'No, I swear! I didn't tell him to do that.'

Lain narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. 'Really?'

Rusty looked away. 'Well, maybe on_ some_ levels…' He turned and grabbed her left hand, holding it up. 'Either way, you're married to me, why not just change your last name to mine, just to make things simple for Yzak. Besides, that justifies everything.' He nodded his head at the wedding certificate on the coffee table.

'Yeah right.' Lain muttered, trying to snatch her hand away but in stead was pulled into Rusty's arms. 'Yzak got it back from the old apartment?'

Rusty nodded. 'He cleared up everything else.'

Lain just sighed in response.

'What did the doc say?' Rusty asked softly, caressing her bare shoulders.

'Everything's healed.' Lain replied, fiddling with his white shirt. 'I just need to remove the scars now.'

'Take your time.' Rusty said, taking the clip out of her hair. 'It's going to be removed.'

Lain just nodded and turned her head, leaning it against his chest. She raised her eyebrows at a brown envelop that had her name on. 'What's that?'

Rusty shrugged, watching as Lain leaned forward, the towel sliding down her back. 'I found it in the parcel Yzak gave me, he said you'll understand when you see it.'

Leaning back onto Rusty's chest, Lain opened the envelope and took out a few pictures and a data disc.

'What's this?' Rusty's eyebrows furrowed as he set his chin on the crook of her neck.

Lain stared down at the photos, feeling her heart beat faster. Sensing something wrong, Rusty gave her other shoulder a squeeze. 'What?'

'It's okay.' Lain placed her hand on Rusty's, giving it a squeeze. 'I'll tell you about this when I have the chance, I know what Yzak wants me to do. It has something to do with Nessar.'

Rusty's frown deepened as he took a deep breath. 'I knew it.'

'It should be fine.' Lain said quietly, stuffing the materials back into the envelope. 'Just a little intelligence work, I'll go through it later.'

'If you say so.' Grunting, Rusty wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling the towel down in one quick motion. Expecting it, Lain just closed her eyes and leaned her head back as he felt him trail kisses up and down her neck, sucking and biting onto her flesh. Turning her around, he pushed her hips down onto him, burying his face into her chest. Wrapping her arms around his head, she held him close like a baby as he sucked on her sensitive skin. When he looked up, Lain leaned her head down and kissed him deeply, preying her mouth open.

Pushing her down onto the sofa, Rusty broke the kiss and stared into her bright amber eyes eyes.

'What do you want to do?' Lain whispered against his lips.

Rusty smirked and licked her. 'I want to fuck your brains out Mrs. MacKenzie.'

Lain could only smile as Rusty brushed his lips over hers. Closing her eyes, she buried her face into his neck and tugged on his ear with her teeth, feeling nothing but his warmth surrounding her whole body.

'You think that's a good idea Mr. MacKenzie?'

'Yeah. You?'

'Me too.'

**End of Gseed Aftermath Trilogy II  
**_Please go to next chapter for Author's Notes and Previews of GSA III_


	15. Author's Notes and GSA III Previews

**Author's Notes & GS Aftermath Trilogy III Previews**

I can't believe I've actually made it this far! Yeah! For those of you who don't know, I doubt that any one of you actually know, 'GSEED Aftermath Trilogy Series' actually started off with Rusty's story, if Rusty hadn't entered my mind, there would be no story of Dearka and Miriallia. Thank you all for reading this long and intensive story and I know Rusty and original characters created by me aren't everyone's cup of tea.

Since 80 of this story is made up of original characters, I'd like to comment on some of them, as well as the other Seed characters since there has been a lot of characterization through the two installments.

Rusty MacKenzie  
The story's hero, my hero. I love him. He's the character I've been dying to write for a long time and I finally had the chance to incorporate this character into Rusty MacKenzie. I first took notice of him in one of the screenshots of the Specials, the one where the Klueze Team graduated from the academy and he was hot! I fell in love with him immediately and the idea of writing him starting forming in my head. Of course I knew he was dead, that was not to be mistaken, but when I reviewed the first episode, I thought, hmm, there's something that I might be able to change... I hope it the explanation I provided was a believable one. I'm really flattered that people think that my version of Rusty is better than the original, but really I based my version of him on the impressions I got of Rusty in the movie.

Lain van Ness  
Our heroine, she's more or less a reflection yours truly. That point aside, yes, she's a fragile character that tends to hurt herself. I mean, how many girls out there can actually tolerate their husbands sleeping with another girl? Lain is definitely one of a kind, the kind who likes to hurt herself in order to hide her feelings from Rusty. If you haven't noticed, yes, she loves him, that's why she wanted to protect him and drive him away in the first place. The thing I really like about her is her tranquility and it's so fun to depict the contrast between her and Novita.

Marni Peragrine  
I remember people asking me who Marni was in 'Rebound', now you know. He doesn't have much part in the whole story compared to Madge, but I'm thinking of a side story about him, Lain and Rusty, so stay tuned if you're interested.

Novita van Ness  
The typical psycho that gets completely out of control. I don't think I did that of a good job in portraying her, but all in all, she's a bitch and with that said, I'm glad Lain shot her, that made me feel so good. If you have to know, I wasn't happy writing the parts of her having sex with Rusty, but I made it through! Yeah, she's a bitch.

Yzak, Dearka and Miriallia  
The people who liven up the scenes, Yzak was still short tempered as ever. I really enjoyed writing bits and pieces of Dearka and Miriallia, a continuation of their relationship throughout the series so that fans of the couple still have something to look forward to from them. Did you guys enjoy their moments? More to come in GSA III.

Shiho Hahnenfuss  
A twist, I bet a lot of you didn't expect this, but there were hints here and there, yet those hints were barely hints, I admit. With the introduction of Shiho in the very last part of the story, you people have more or less guessed that she will be the female lead of GSA III: Resonance. With that said, Lain and Rusty will continue to influence the flow of the third installment of this series.

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**What to be expected in Gseed Aftermath Trilogy III: Resonance? **

1. Everything you've seen in GSA I and GSA II will be expanded in GSA III, including length, time span and of course events.  
2. The last phase of the battle in GSEED will be portrayed.  
3. Dearka and Miriallia  
4. Rusty and Lain  
5. Adult Scenes (A lot more than GSAII, if you _have_ to know)  
6. Violence, rape and major angst

That being said, it's a highly dramatic and emotional story and what I think, really intense. So prepare yourselves.

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**Information**

**Title: **Gseed Aftermath Trilogy III - Resonance  
**Type:** Anime Fanfiction  
**Original Series: **Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed  
**Time: **C.E. 71-75  
**Genre: **Drama/Angst/Tragedy/Suspense/Romance  
**Characters:** Yzak Jule / Shiho Hahnenfuss  
**Rating:** R (For strong language, violence, cruelty, explicit adult content, rape and nudity)  
**Intro:** She was an abandoned soul, holding a dark past. ZAFT gave her a chance to start a new life and she thought she succeeded in doing so, but that fateful meeting with him in the end turned everything upside down, including their lives and future, forcing her to revisit the appalling past which had been hidden by a smile for so many years.

**Date of Launch:** 28th October, 2005

**Hosting Site:** gseedaftermath.hermitjunction. net

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**Excerpt**

'The trial was bad.' Yzak said out of the blue, startling Shiho. He looked out at the city that was far away from where they were.

'How bad?' Shiho asked quietly, looking down at her lap with her breath inhaled.

'It never occurred to me that I shot down a civilian shuttle.' Yzak said, sighing. 'It was during the early stages of the war when we were still ordered to shoot down Strike. I got this scar from Strike in one of the early battles and vowed revenge.'

Shiho heard Yzak exhale loudly after brief pause.

'I remember I still had one eye covered in that battle. I was going after Strike near the atmosphere, determined to shoot him down. My wound was hurting badly, my pride was hurt and I wasn't going to let him get away with it, I swore to myself I'd kill him.

'I didn't kill him but instead shot down a shuttle with an Earth Alliance signal.' Yzak looked up, griping the bun in his hand. 'I thought I just shot down an OMNI filled military shuttle, never did it occur to me that I killed thirty-seven civilians that escaped from Heliopolis after our raid.'

'You were put on trial because of this?' Shiho asked softly.

Yzak nodded. 'How many civilians have I killed in this war? How many people have a killed in this war alone? I've been so preoccupied with the events that changed so fast and I lost count… no, I never counted.'

'You kill to survive in war.' Shiho said quietly. 'That's the inevitable fact, a brutal yet inevitable fact. If you let sympathy and emotion control you at gunpoint, your going to lose not only your pride, but also your life.'

'I still shiver when I think about the last phase of this war Hahnenfuss.' Yzak said, turning his head towards her. 'It's just killing, Naturals versus Coordinators. It was a massacre, a bloody massacre.'

'No one wanted it to happen this way Captain.' Shiho murmured. 'Yet no one could control the situation.'

'To tell you the truth, I met up with my former comrade Dearka Elthman during that recoinnase mission in L4 after the escape of Eternal.' Yzak ran one hand through his hair. 'I didn't know if I was mad or just plain annoyed after that brief meeting. I was glad he didn't die yet I resented his betrayal towards PLANT, uniting with Archangel, our former enemy, the battleship we've been trying to destroy, in the process loosing three team members.'

'What did he say that made you so confused?' Shiho asked.

'I was confused.' Yzak bowed his head. 'I hadn't been more confused in my entire life. There I was, pointing my gun at my former comrade being bombed with the news that he was against ZAFT, he and Athrun Zala. He even told me that Athrun was best friends with the pilot of Strike. Imagine the shock.'

Shiho didn't say anything as she looked at him. She could see the moonlit river water reflect in his cobalt blue eyes.

'I always acted by the book, always followed strict orders.' Yzak whispered. 'Never in my life did imagine myself doubting this principle of mine. That brief meeting made me rethink the orders I received.'

'Yet you continued to follow them.' Shiho said.

'Yes, I did, but I no longer had that spirit in me, the spirit of being an absolutely loyal ZAFT soldier.' Yzak said softly.

'Are you saying you've betrayed ZAFT too?' Shiho asked.

'I don't know, maybe.' Yzak swung his legs over the side of the bridge, landing his feet on the concrete road. He paused with his back to her, the nocturnal breeze lifting his silky hair.

'You didn't Captain.' Shiho said firmly.

Yzak turned around and looked at her in the eye. 'I was sentenced to death in the trial.'

Shiho's eyes widened and she almost fell off the side of the bridge. 'What?'

'I was sentenced to death.' Yzak repeated, giving her a small smile. 'But if I took my Mother's place in the council and continued to serve ZAFT, I'd escape this penalty.'

Shiho felt herself sigh in relief as she hopped onto her feet again. 'Are you hesitating Captain?'

Yzak nodded. 'I don't know if I'm the negotiation type of person. I'm a military man, I fight in the battle field, not argue at a round table. Besides, I don't know if I really still want to be in ZAFT.'

'I understand.' Shiho said softly. 'But just think do you really want to disappoint the people who believe in you? Who trust you?'

Yzak looked at her in silence.

'You can still do great things Captain Jule!' Shiho insisted. 'If the court gives you this bargain, you should take it because it's a win-win situation. They're giving you this task because they think you're suitable and trust you with it.' She looked away, her strands of hair blowing across her face. 'At least you've showed us how great a leader you can be in war.'

Yzak stared at her for a while before smiling, much to Shiho's surprise. 'I've been smiling more than I could remember ever since I met you Major.'

'Really…' Shiho bit her bottom lip.

Yzak reached for his blueberry juice and took a sip, wincing at the taste. 'I should have chose melon.'

'Too late.' Shiho smirked.

'Give me a sip?' Yzak asked.

'No.' Shiho made a face.

'Please? This blueberry deal sucks!' Yzak protested.

Seeing him reach out, Shiho took a step back and stuck her tongue out. 'No, you should have made your choice when I asked you. Not that I don't like blueberry.'

'Then let's trade.' Yzak suggested.

'You drank from that!' Shiho argued.

Yzak rolled his eyes. 'It's not like I have a disease or something. Come on, just one sip, do me a favor…'

Shiho shook her head.

'Major!' Yzak said sharply. Shiho stood straight and saluted, dropping the box of melon juice. Her mouth dropped open when Yzak caught it and stuck the straw into his mouth without hesitation, raising his eyebrows at her.

'You cheater!' Shiho cried. 'Give that back!'

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The anticipated installment, their worlds are going to be rocked. Stay tuned!

Yours truly,

Pisces Miles


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